My Best Friend's Wedding
by Llaria6
Summary: Sonya Karp & Mikhail Tanner are getting married. But what happens when their best friends Karin & Don meet up unexpectedly on their plane trip to Court? This is a short spin-off of my story Undying Love, set in the world of Vampire Academy. Rated M - for smutty lemons & some coarse language.
1. Ch 1 - Introductions

**_This is not a romitri tale (sorry), but Dimitri/Rose, Lissa/Christian & Sonya/Mikhail all make appearances during the story. _**_**Special dedication to**_ _ **Lea0014!**_

 _ **If you haven't read my other story here's what you need to know...**_

 _ ***Don = Mikhail Tanner's best mate - dhampir, guardian, loyal friend & smart arse. **_

**_*Karin =_** ** _Sonya Karp's best friend -_** ** _moroi, independent young professional & very, very single._**

 ** _*These characters are a naughtier, bolder and smuttier than my Sonya/Mikhail in my previous story. Enjoy the lemons!_**

 ** _Finally - Please feel free to review/PM so I know what you think - positive feedback makes my day & I reply to every post :-)_**

* * *

 **1\. Introductions**

(Karin POV)

 _Ladies and gentlemen. This is your captain speaking. I'd like to welcome you aboard American Airlines flight AA1935 traveling from Detroit to Pittsburgh. Today's flight will take three hours fifty-one minutes, with a one hour layover in Philadelphia. The skies are looking clear and our estimated arrival time is 3.16pm. Please sit back and enjoy your flight._

I rested back against the seat, wrinkling my nose in annoyance as the large woman sitting next to me spread herself out, hogging the armrest between us and turning to her equally ample friend across the aisle to begin a loud conversation - their high-pitched, nasal voices carrying across the whole cabin.

 _Humans!_ I cursed to myself. I lived among them and worked among them happily enough, but sometimes they just pissed me off. Leaning forward, I selected a music channel on the entertainment screen and shifted closer to the window, lifting the blind to watch Detroit grow smaller and smaller as our plane banked sharply and set a course for Pennsylvania.

I was no stranger to flying but my stomach lurched slightly as we rose above a thick bank of cloud and passed through a small pocket of turbulence. _Maybe a drink might steady my nerves?_ I thought, seeing the stewardess approaching with her trolley of refreshments.

'I'll get a can of Canadian Club and dry ginger ale please,' I placed my order, being careful to hide my fangs as I smiled gratefully to the stewardess. A minute later I'd poured the bubbling amber liquid into the glass provided and took a refreshing gulp, enjoying the cold sting as it trickled down my throat before resting the glass on the tray in front of me and closing my eyes with a sigh. If only the woman next to me would shut up for five minutes I might actually be able to catch a nap.

The gods must have heard me because the nasal voice stopped suddenly, and I felt the armrest sag dangerously as the woman leant on it to stand up. I figured she was probably going to the toilet but a few seconds later somebody else sat down in the seat beside me and I could tell from the overpowering waft of aftershave that it was a man. My eyes flashed open and I turned to see a fit looking guy in his mid-thirties settling himself into the chair, placing a bottle of heineken on his own tray along with a paperback novel – some crime thriller, judging by the cover. His sandy brown hair was short at the back and sides but longer and slightly mussy on top, and there was a faint dusting of freckles over his finely chiselled nose.

'Hi,' he mouthed, his eyebrows quirking up over intense hazel eyes, and my heart skipped a beat as I realised who – or what – he was.

I slid the headphones down around my neck and turned to him. 'Saved by a guardian already, and I haven't even gotten to Court yet,' I quipped, secretly admiring the man's athletic dhampir frame. 'Any particular reason for this honour?' I asked, taking another sip of my drink.

He fixed me with a solemn gaze. 'I'm bound by oath to protect moroi from harm and I take my job very seriously,' he explained. 'I was sitting just across the aisle and couldn't help noticing that those women were annoying you - when I saw the look of intense suffering on your face I asked your elephant if she'd like to sit next to my hippo.'

I didn't mean to laugh but his earnest expression was so funny I couldn't help it. Whisky and soda sprayed out over the seat in front of me as I struggled to contain myself. It was like he was offering to save me from a strigoi attack, not relieving me from a few hours of having a stranger encroaching on my personal space.

'Well, I'm grateful for your assistance,' I gasped, finally calming down, 'but I didn't think that kind of problem warranted guardian attention.'

The dhampir flashed me a roughish smile. 'Oh no,' he replied. 'You'd warrant my attention any day.'

I rolled my eyes at the bad pick up line. A dhampir guardian might seem appealing to a single moroi girl like me but I was wise enough to keep a level head. Guardians had a reputation of playing the field – most of them were married to their work and didn't really have any time for proper relationships. If I was younger I might have taken the bait, but I was thirty-two and my body clock was ticking. I couldn't let myself be swayed by the tempting combination of good looks and flattery.

'How sweet,' I grinned, brushing off the suggestive comment and sticking my arm out to shake his hand. 'I'm Karin by the way.'

'Don,' he eyed me approvingly, gripping my hand. 'So what business have you got at Court, Karin?' he asked, settling back in his seat.

I sighed, maybe a little too obviously. 'My best friend is getting married and I'm the maid of honour, so I'm on my way to help her with the final preparations.'

Don cocked his head to one side, picking up on the undercurrent of tension in my voice. 'Your best friend's wedding? That's a good thing right?' he clarified.

'Of course,' I answered hastily. 'Don't get me wrong – I'm over the moon for my friend. She deserves all the happiness in the world and so does her fiancée.' _Ouch._ Thinking about Mikhail sent a familiar sting of remorse through my heart.

'But…?' he prompted.

I downed the rest of my drink then turned to face the dhampir. 'I'm not sure I should talk about it. It's kind of personal…'

'Well, it's up to you, hon, but it seems to me like you need to get something off your chest,' Don replied, more genuinely this time. 'Think about it this way – we're just two people on a plane who probably won't ever see one-another again. I can't put any expectations or judgements on you, and seeing as I don't know anybody you know, whatever you choose to tell me will remain a secret forever. What have you got to lose?'

I hesitated a while longer. 'Fair enough,' I replied. 'But prepare yourself – it's going to get pretty weird.

'I can do weird,' he grinned, grabbing the stewardess' attention as she wheeled her trolley back to the galley, buying each of us a fresh drink. 'Now, where do you want to begin?'

* * *

(Don POV)

I sat in the airport lounge waiting for my flight back home to Court. I'd just spent three days visiting my kid brother in Jackson, Michigan. Well, by _kid brother_ I mean I was thirty-five and he was only twenty-six, and technically we were half-brothers (having different dads wasn't a big deal among dhampir families).

Sean and I got on well enough but we didn't have a lot in common. While I followed the typical dhampir career path, working my way up the ranks to become a Court guardian, my brother Sean was the prodigal son of the family. He decided at a very young age that he didn't owe anything to the moroi cause – you couldn't blame him considering what a douchebag his father was – and decided he'd rather spend his time helping our own people. Now, after a five year law degree and two years interning with a law firm in Detroit, he'd just started up his own small firm in Jackson, defending dhampirs who had been incarcerated in the human prison system. He was even drawing up a class action case on behalf of dhampirs who felt they were being harassed by the Michigan branch of alchemists.

I understood why Sean felt he needed to fight the system, but at the same time I would never trade my guardian job for that kind of trouble. My work might be tiring and dangerous, with little free time and essentially no chance at a personal life, but at least I knew exactly what I was in for every day. Serve. Protect. Kill the bad guys.

Only things weren't quite as simple as that anymore. Until recently, everybody thought of strigoi as 'the bad guys' and a guardian's main purpose was to eliminate the growing strigoi threat by any means possible. But then Dimitri Belikov was miraculously restored back to his dhampir state by Queen Vasilisa, and suddenly we all had to consider the possibility that mindless vampire staking might not be the only answer to our strigoi problems.

The bigwigs at Court were scrambling to come up with answers – trying to decide if Dimitri's case was a one-off, freak event or maybe it was a viable option to restore strigoi instead of killing them – when another strigoi restoration hit the headlines. This time it was my best friend Mikhail's partner, Sonya Karp, and she was doing so well since the change that the happy couple were planning to get married in a few weeks' time. They were even talking about having children in the near future.

While most people viewed the idea of restoring strigoi as either an impossible dream or a smart battle strategy, I'd had an epiphany of my own: approximately half of the strigoi out there were girls.

I may be a guardian first and foremost but I was still a man with certain needs, and due to the constraints of my job I was essentially starved of female companionship. Being a dhampir was a cruel lot; most moroi women wouldn't come near us because of the social expectation to settle down with men of their own kind, and most dhampir girls didn't bother with us either because we had no way of giving them babies. Humans were a little docile for my taste, and getting kinky with a strigoi wasn't an option either as I enjoyed being alive. But now I had a brilliant idea… if we could somehow restore the strigoi females instead of killing them, that would open up a whole new demographic of potential romantic partners for poor dhampir men like me.

Yes, I was lonely and horny, and seeing Mikhail and Sonya so happy didn't make things any easier. I was so desperate I'd even invented a new game (that I privately referred to as 'c _atch, kill, kiss')_ which I played anytime I was bored in a public place – like right now in the airport departures lounge...

My eyes roamed over the passengers in the waiting room, coming to rest on a bitchy, thin-lipped woman in her late forties currently demanding an upgrade to business class because her meal was cold on the previous leg of her journey. This one was an easy choice. _If you were strigoi I'd kill you… Whingy, no stamina, not worth the time and effort to save._

Nearby, a determined looking woman in her early thirties was chasing after a toddler who had made a sudden dash for the travelator (for the third time in five minutes). _If you were strigoi I'd capture you... Definitely feisty enough to make a good asset in one of Hans Croft's guardian retrieval teams._

Over by the newsstand at the entrance, a slim, busty twenty-something year old was preening in front of a mirror, trying on a pair of sunglasses and admiring herself from different angles. _If you were strigoi I'd kiss you – then kill you… Screwable, but too vapid to be of much benefit in the long term._

It was a fun game.

And then I saw her. She was sitting at a table near the edge of the room, one slender leg tucked up under the other as she alternated between sipping at her coffee cup and sketching something on the back of a napkin. A short shock of dark, wavy hair swept down to brush the woman's jawline, hiding her face, but when she turned to check the departure screen I was blown away by her stunning appearance; dusky skin; big almond eyes; full, soft lips, and a beauty spot high on her cheekbone. She was completely unconcerned by her surroundings – confident and serene – and I had a feeling she would be intelligent as she was beautiful.

This one was special – I'd have to make a new category for her. _If you were strigoi I'd kiss you – then keep you… Why should Mikhail and Sonya have all the fun?!_

When we'd boarded the plane half an hour later I was delighted to discover that my mystery moroi was seated in the same row as me, and I jumped at the chance to switch places with another passenger in order to go and sit beside her. Sure, Karin might have rebuffed one of my best pick-up lines to start with, but we were soon laughing like old friends, and the longer I kept her talking the more I wanted to hear what she had to say.

Later, when she told me she had a weird story about her best friend's upcoming wedding, I didn't bother sharing the fact that _my_ best friend was also getting married soon. It was probably a coincidence anyway, right? And if not, it couldn't hurt to get a bit of juicy intel to use in my best man's speech. I just hoped whatever she had to say was going to be good.

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _* About Karin:_** ** _Karin is a completely original moroi character who I introduced back in Undying Love._** ** _I'm visualising Karin as Shannyn Sossamon - the main actress in A Knight's Tale & also the CBS supernatural drama Moonlight (which really should have had more than one season!) About as opposite to Sonya as I could get!_**

 ** _* About Don:_** ** _In the VA books he's basically just a blank character who works at the front desk of Guardian HQ._** ** _In my interpretation he is a bit of a loveable rogue (t_** ** _hink... annoying big brother/player/sensitive soul on the inside)._** ** _My visual reference is Jensen Ackles (Dean from Supernatural) but of course, choose your own muse if that doesn't work for you!_**

 ** _* Other Stuff: Don's brother Sean is an original character I've created to give him some context._** ** _Don's strigoi game is loosely based on the UK TV show Snog/Marry/Avoid :-)_**

 _ *** Finally:**_ **_A guest reviewer was concerned at Don's insensitive comments earlier in this chapter. Yep, he's certainly not as gentlemanly as Mikhail or Dimitri, and I intended him to be a more flawed/raw character than the standard romantic lead. I hope you'll give him another chance as he really is a good guy once you get to know him! :-)_**


	2. Ch 2 - Confession

**2\. Confession**

(Karin POV)

The dhampir angled himself around to face me – as much as he could, given the cramped leg-space in economy – and gazed over at me expectantly. He seemed genuinely interested to hear my story but that didn't make it any easier for me to begin. I'd kept my dirty little secret for years and never intended to share it with anybody, but after three years of hiding from the truth, the guilt and discomfort was still as fresh as ever. Clearly avoidance wasn't working. Maybe if I owned up to the truth I could finally move on? I eyed the man next to me suspiciously before deciding it was worth a shot, then launched ahead.

'Have you ever had feelings for someone you shouldn't have?' I asked slowly, raking my fingers distractedly through my hair.

Don raised an eyebrow. 'You're joking right? I'm a guardian. Practically _everybody_ I've ever fancied has been off-limits.'

I chuckled softly in acknowledgment, then grew nervous as I realised I was about to say this out loud. 'Well, I kind of had a thing for my best friend's partner.'

'Ooh – kinky,' Don's eyes widened in appreciation – _not_ the reaction I was looking for.

I smacked the back of his hand, which was laid casually on the armrest between us. 'It's not something I'm proud of,' I whispered forcefully, already regretting I'd opened up to this pretty man-child.

His instant look of remorse calmed my sudden spark of anger. 'Sorry Karin,' he apologised at once. 'I promise I won't interrupt again. Please go on.'

I glowered at him from under my eyelashes before eventually relenting. 'It's not what you think. I'm not a cheater – I would never betray my friend like that. It's just…' I trailed off, raising a hand to hide the flush that was spreading across my cheeks. There was no way I could justify myself – I knew my behaviour was inexcusable. '…I am such a horrible person,' I conceded, my voice tight with self-loathing.

 _Why the hell did I agree to share my secrets with this stranger, anyway? Maybe I could try using compulsion to make him forget what I just said... Maybe the stewardess would come back around so I could switch seats and pretend this never happened... Maybe the plane would crash…_

'Hold on a second,' Don's voice cut through my suffocating thoughts, gentler than I anticipated. 'I know I promised I wouldn't interrupt again, but if we're going to do this little confession you need to be a bit kinder to yourself. I'm not going to judge you, but you shouldn't put judgements on yourself either, okay?'

He reached over to draw my hand away from my face, studying me carefully from under raised eyebrows. The cocky arrogance was completely gone from his expression and I got my first clear glimpse of the real man beneath the mask. He was kind and honest, and I instinctively knew I could trust him.

'Fine. You're probably right,' I sighed reluctantly, shaking my head before resting it back on the scratchy seat-cover. I had to get this over with or these feelings would probably haunt me for the rest of my life.

Don wiggled around further to offer me the armrest and fixed me with a stern smile. 'Good. Now start from the beginning,' he ordered.

'The beginning… hmm,' I took a few seconds to gather my thoughts then spoke up. 'I grew up on a large private estate just outside of Seattle. My parents weren't rich exactly, but they were comfortable enough to take on a family to help out with domestic duties and keep the whole place running. That's how I met…' I paused, '…Marie.'

It was a white lie. Sonya's middle name was Marie, after her mother Mariya. I just realised that most people at Court would have heard of Sonya's case – maybe Don had even met her. I wasn't about to reveal personal information about my friend to anybody, and seeing as our stories overlapped quite a bit it was important that I protected her privacy.

'Marie,' Don repeated, a strange look flashing across his features. 'Your best friend?'

'Yeah,' I smiled over at him, relaxing slightly as a slideshow of happy memories filtered through my mind. 'We grew up together. She was two years younger than me – so sweet and clever. We were different in many ways but our friendship worked because we complemented one another. She helped to level out my wild side and I taught her how to be more confident.'

'You have a wild side?' Don interjected, earning a smirk from me. I might look like a prim little moroi but I knew how to handle myself.

'Don't test me,' I narrowed my eyes in mock threat, before continuing. 'Marie and I shared an interest in art and even ended up following similar careers – I went down the architecture and design path, while she preferred the calmer disciplines of sketching and landscape painting…' We really were like yin and yang; opposite but perfectly matched. '…I loved her like my own sister, but then something happened when I went away to college that… changed her.'

'Changed her? In what way?' the guardian asked curiously.

'Well, she got quiet… withdrawn, like a little spark of light inside her was snuffed out. She worried about things, she stopped laughing like she used to. As time went on she lost herself in her work, in art and gardening – she basically hid behind anything that meant she didn't have to open up to other people anymore.'

'That's rough,' Don frowned. 'I know what it's like to have a friend slip away from you. So how did you deal with it?'

I shook my head in frustration. 'I didn't,' I replied sadly. 'I ignored the change in behaviour. I tried to pretend everything was okay, thinking that maybe if I believed hard enough then everything would work out alright in the end…'

'But it didn't,' Don finished for me.

'No,' my eyes dipped down to my knees as I remembered the way I'd let Sonya disappear into herself. 'I can't help blaming myself. If I'd done something more to help then maybe I could have saved her from the pain she went through. If I'd just been a better friend…'

'No judgements, remember,' Don warned me gently, reaching for his drink and handing me my own glass.

I rolled my eyes. 'Yes, Sir,' I clinked my glass with his and gulped back the cool liquid, fixing my eyes on the pattern of the seat in front of me as I summoned the courage to continue.

* * *

(Don POV)

I was trained to be observant. In a crowded bar I could always pick the guy who was itching for a fight, and I'd done enough guard duties at the main gates of Court to be able to spot a driver acting suspiciously (usually trying to smuggle in illicit drugs or the occasional blood whore). After countless shifts in the Court holding cells I could normally predict when a prisoner was about to snap – whether that manifested as physical violence or silent, soul-destroying depression – and six years ago I'd been hand-selected for my job at the front desk of Guardian HQ because I had an uncanny knack for telling when someone was lying to me.

Right now Karin was giving off some weird vibes. The way she gripped her glass a tad too tightly told me she was nervous, and she definitely faltered before saying her best friend's name was Marie. Was she intentionally lying to me or just holding back because the subject matter was so sensitive? In either case, it was clear that Karin was hesitant to continue so I decided to step in. (Sure, I often tended to blurt out whatever I was thinking without a filter, but I wasn't _completely_ devoid of tact when the situation required it.)

'You know, it can be hard sometimes, but you have to let people make their own decisions,' I offered, looking thoughtfully into my drink as a trail of tiny bubbles slid their way down the neck of the bottle. 'A few years ago a buddy of mine went through something pretty traumatic – he was just about to propose to his girlfriend when she… well, committed suicide.' Mikhail had explained to me Sonya's reasons for turning strigoi, but in the end that's basically what it amounted to.

Karin's eyes swung around to me and I saw her jaw tense in empathy. 'Fuck,' she whispered, shaking her head.

'Yeah. It really tore him up. He quit his job and left town – wouldn't tell any of us where he'd gone and eventually stopped answering my calls. It was like he didn't know how to exist without his other half so he just became… somebody else for a while. There was literally nothing I could do to fix things – it was something he had to work out on his own.'

'Did you ever get back in contact with him?' Karin interjected softly.

'Yes, thank God,' I replied with a nod. 'It took a long time for him to find himself again – I helped as much as I could, just by listening and being there for him, and he had access to professional counselling too, of course – but eventually things ironed themselves out. It was actually finding love again that saved him in the end.'

'That's so lucky,' Karin breathed, the hint of a frown still dimpling her forehead. 'I'm glad things worked out for him.'

'Me too. I've actually been asked to be the best man at his wedding in a little while, so it seems you and I will both have a bit of dancing practice to brush up on soon!' I joked, trying to lighten the conversation.

'Oh God. Dancing. Don't remind me,' Karin gave me a withering look. 'For an artistic person, I honestly can't dance - or sing for that matter - to save my life.'

I didn't expect false modesty from someone who appeared to be so confident. With Karin's moroi genes she was bound to move with the grace of a willow. ' _Everybody_ can dance,' I argued. 'Even _I_ can dance.' It was part of the curriculum when I was a novice guardian – something about developing suppleness and agility for battle-readiness. Admittedly, I was a bit rusty now, but I'm sure it would all come flooding back if I had the right partner.

'Well, I might need you to show me one or two of your moves, because I am a serious liability on the dance-floor,' Karin smirked at some private memory. 'It's generally safer to just give me a glass of champagne and let me watch from the sidelines.'

'How about we share a glass of champagne and then I'll show you some of my best moves?' I suggested cheekily, my eyes dropping to her lips for just a second.

She poked her tongue out at me, not missing the innuendo, and proceeded to down the rest of her drink.

'So how did things work out with your friend Marie?' I enquired when the mood settled once more. 'Obviously things improved eventually if you're going to be her maid of honour.'

Karin's gaze became distant again and she blinked once or twice before replying. 'It was similar to what happened with your buddy, I guess,' she explained. 'Marie found herself again, but it took several years... She went AWOL for a while. A long while actually. We all thought she'd left for good.'

There was that pause again – laden with nervous indecision.

'And that's when I met her partner… Mike,' Karin winced as she said the name and her fingers fretted obsessively at a loose thread on the seat cover. 'I was a mess with Marie out of my life – I missed her so much and felt guilty that I didn't fight harder to protect her from the depression that so rapidly claimed her. But Mike was amazing. He never gave up – he actually came to me for help when he was searching for Marie in Seattle. We looked for her for weeks but couldn't find her anywhere. When Mike finally decided to move on and continue his hunt elsewhere, I… I realised I wanted him to stay with me instead.'

Karin looked across at me then, her eyes haunted with remorse. 'See?' she was practically imploring me to understand. 'That's the definition of a bad person. I gave up on my friend so completely that I even wanted to stop her partner from searching for her. I wanted what she had for myself.'

 _Whew._ I breathed, taking it all in before responding. 'You make it sound like you were being completely selfish, but I think your feelings were pretty understandable considering the circumstances, Karin,' I tried to reassure her.

'Seriously?' she asked darkly, a scowl marring her pretty features.

'Yes,' I answered quickly. 'You were grieving the loss of your closest friend. You needed something or someone to cling to, so it's perfectly natural you'd have feelings for the guy who knew and loved Marie as well as you did. He was obviously a strong person – mentally and emotionally – to keep searching for her after she'd made the decision to leave, and of course you would have been drawn to those qualities at a time when you were in desperate need of comfort and support yourself.'

The woman's stoic expression began to crumple and I realised she was holding back tears. _Damn_. I was trying to cheer the woman up, not make her even more upset. I leant in closer and slipped my arm over her shoulders, using my body to shield her from the view of nearby passengers in case she needed some privacy.

'You are not a bad person, Karin. You deserve happiness as much as anybody else,' I murmured softly, hoping I was saying the right thing. 'Don't beat yourself up for trying to find a little piece of happiness out of a sad situation... And nothing happened between you and this Mike guy in the end, anyway, so there's no harm done, right?'

She didn't lean into my chest but she didn't push me away either so I left my arm there while she took a few slow, shaky breaths before tilting her head up to face me. 'I didn't know dhampir guardians were so wise,' she smiled weakly, her deep brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. 'Who are you? Ghandi? Yoda?'

Karin was going to be absolutely fine.

'Well, seeing as I'm not skinny, balding, green or wearing a robe that's clearly a case of mistaken identity,' I countered with a grin, giving her shoulder a light squeeze before retrieving my arm and picking up my beer. 'And just so we're clear, there's nothing complex or mystical about me, honey,' I glanced lazily across at the moroi, enjoying the new easiness between us. 'What you see is what you get. I'm just naturally awesome.'

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 ** _Finally feeling like I'm getting to grips with the characters. Deep & meaningful is now out of the way so we can move on to some fun! _**


	3. Ch 3 - Layover

**3\. Layover**

(Karin POV)

'So do you want to grab some lunch?' I heard Don ask as he reached up to get our carry-on bags from the overheard compartment.

The checked luggage would be transferred directly onto the next plane, so we had about an hour to kill before we had to board again for the final leg of our flight to Pittsburgh. Thanks to my moroi metabolism I wasn't really hungry, but it would be nice to have a friend to pass the time with. 'Sure, that'd be nice,' I replied with a smile, unzipping my bag to take out a light cashmere sweater and slipping it over my head before turning my phone on.

One missed call – Sonya. 'Do you mind if I take a minute to check this first?' I asked, wiggling my cell at Don as we joined the line of passengers heading out into the busy arrivals lounge.

'Sure. I've got to use the bathroom anyway – meet you at the food court?'

'Great, see you soon,' I said, already turning to dial my message bank and stepping off to the side of the room. I wasn't expecting any calls so I hoped everything was still okay for my visit.

 _Karin! It's Sonya. I guess you're already in the air. I can't wait to see you. How was Michigan? How was Emily? Did you remember to give Em the photo book from Mom & Dad's anniversary? _(Short pause.) _Sorry. Talking too much. Just nervous and excited about the wedding I guess. Anyway, I was just ringing to let you know that Misha's sorted a guardian to pick you up from the airport when you arrive, so have a safe flight and we'll see you soon!_

When the message finished I hung up, feeling suddenly lighter. I was going to visit Sonya and help her prepare for her wedding. I was truly happy for her and Mikhail. Whatever crazy feelings had happened in my head a few years ago didn't matter anymore – things worked out the way they were supposed to and I was finally ready to move on. I smiled and pocketed the phone then made my way to the place where I'd arranged to meet Don.

My new friend was already waiting for me when I arrived, his posture relaxed but alert like he was ready to move at a moment's danger, making me wonder if guardians were ever really off-duty. As I approached slowly from behind I realised this was the first time I'd actually seen the dhampir outside of the cramped airplane cabin, and now he was standing in an open space I could fully appreciate him. I guessed he was about six foot two, a few inches taller than me, and his broad shoulders and chest filled out his open suede jacket very nicely. I'd seen plenty of fit guys who were all puffy up the top and weedy down the bottom, but as my eyes wandered down to check out his faded black jeans I was happily surprised to see that he had a firm arse and muscular thighs to complete the package. Hmm... I'd take a dhampir guy over a moroi any day (not that I was looking for a fling, of course).

Don must have sensed someone was looking at him because he swung around suddenly, his eyes locking onto mine. 'See something you like?' he asked with a wink, stepping towards me and offering to take my bag.

'Maybe,' I answered boldly. Getting involved with a guardian was undoubtedly a bad idea but there was no point denying he was an attractive man. At the same time, I didn't want Don thinking that I was about to suddenly fall at his feet and let him take charge. Working in a male-dominated workplace my entire career had taught me a lot about how men think, and I knew the best strategy with Don's type was to gain the upper hand early. 'So, what are you going to do about it, hot stuff?'

The dhampir faltered briefly – clearly used to dishing out the smart-arse comments but not as accustomed to taking them. _Amateur._ I gave myself a mental high-five and chuckled at the surprised expression that flashed across his face.

He recovered quickly enough, though, instantly parrying back in an effort to restore his sense of control. 'How about I start by buying you lunch?'

'Fair enough, as long as I get to choose where we eat,' I retorted, adding my own condition to retain my level of power in the exchange. 'There's a wine bar here that does nice meals – Vino Volo – does that suit you?'

'Yes Ma'am,' Don was gracious in defeat and soon we were seated at a table in the far end of the restaurant, relaxing into a pair of deep leather armchairs. My lunch date looked over his menu suspiciously. 'So you've eaten here before?' he asked. 'Seems to me there's plenty of wine on offer but not a lot of food options.'

'I can recommend the smoked salmon crostini – I've had that a few times when I've come into Philly for work. Or if you feel like a drink we can order a bottle of wine to share and get the platter of cured meats on the side?'

He didn't look entirely convinced. 'I'm more of a beer man, myself, but I'll give anything a try once. How about you order and I'll pay?'

'Just what I hoped you'd say,' I smiled winningly, then caught the waiter's eye to order the share-platter and the West Coast Noire trio of wines for tasting – if Don liked any of them we could always order a bottle later.

When the waiter moved off to take another group's order I returned my attention to the dhampir across the table, only to find him surveying me with unabashed interest. Not letting myself be cowed by his gaze, I settled into the comfortable leather chair and stared right back. It was like a Mexican stand-off, with each of us waiting for the other to crack and say something. I couldn't quite figure out if the intense eye-contact was sexy or just intrusive, but after my near melt-down in the plane there was no way I was going to give in first. I could sit here all day.

* * *

(Don POV)

'So, Karin, do you normally pick up strangers on planes or is it just me?' I broke the silence, arching an eyebrow. This girl was too sassy for her own good and needed taking down a peg or two, or else she'd be walking all over me in no time.

'I told you I had a wild side,' she mirrored my expression and I let out a low chuckle.

 _Okay. I'd let her walk all over me. It was kind of hot._

'About that,' I interrupted, 'I think I need a little more proof. I still don't believe you're that tough.' Actually, I thought she was as tough as hell, but I wanted a chance to find out more about her, and we only had forty minutes left before we were due to board the next plane and possibly never see one another again.

'Really?' I knew she couldn't resist taking the bait. 'Why don't _you_ try living outside of Court for a while and then tell me I'm not tough?!... I live in a human city without a guardian to protect me from the low-lifes and rogue strigoi that lurk around practically every corner. I'm a successful woman in a predominantly male industry, which is _not_ as easy it sounds, and I work during daylight hours, which means I take my lunch breaks in full sun – this skin tone isn't just passed down from my exotic Spanish forebears – I've got a tan, buddy.'

She hitched her sleeve up to the elbow and extended her arm for me to inspect. I reached out and took her hand, twisting it over gently in my fingers as I studied the smooth, olive skin. 'Nice,' I breathed, genuinely impressed. I knew exposure to direct sunlight caused extreme discomfort for moroi – some were even susceptible to sun-stroke in the part-shade, so Karin's tanning feat was quite incredible.

The waiter arrived then, with a tray of three wine glasses, and I let Karin guide me through the finer points of wine tasting. Honestly, they all tasted pretty much the same to me, but I sniffed, swirled and sipped like a pro in some desperate attempt to appear cultured in the eyes of the woman who had me more intoxicated than the alcohol I'd just imbibed.

'And what makes you so awesome anyway?' the moroi asked some time later, taking a sip of the 2012 pinot noir, closing her eyes briefly as she contemplated the bouquet of light, fruity flavours then sliding the glass across the table for me to try.

A little shot of electricity tingled up my arm when our fingers brushed and it took me a second to focus on what she was saying.

'I mean, sure, you're fit and you had that wise Yoda thing going on earlier in the plane, but what makes you different from all the other guardians out there?'

'Good question,' I peeked at her from over the rim of the wine glass, washing down another mouthful of the red stuff. It wasn't too bad really, but it wasn't a beer. I set the empty glass down on its coaster and leant back. 'I'm not that special I guess, but I have been incredibly lucky. I turned thirty-five this year, and that's a milestone lots of guardians don't get to celebrate.'

The feisty edge to Karin's expression faded as she understood what I was referring to. The guardian lifestyle was brutal and a huge percentage of our number lost their lives in their first five years of service. This was mostly due to a lack of battle-experience, but ever since Queen Tatiana had adjusted the age-law – lowering the novice graduation age to sixteen – we were forced to send kids into situations they just weren't prepared for.

'Happy birthday, Don,' she reached over to squeeze my hand. 'I'm glad you made it.'

I smiled grimly then looked around at the sound of a waiter approaching with our meal. 'Thank God the food has arrived – I was starting to think I'd die of hunger before I got the chance to make it to thirty-six.'

As soon as the waiter set the platter down and removed our empty glasses from the table, I eagerly tucked into the meat and cheese while the moroi nibbled at some apricots and almonds, and all too quickly the plate was cleared of every last morsel. We didn't have a lot of time before we were due back on the plane and it was with some regret that I made my way up to the counter to pay. Soon I'd be back on duty at Guardian HQ and this unexpected meeting with Karin would just become a pleasant memory. Reality sucked.

'So what did you think of the restaurant?' Karin asked, as we exited the wine bar.

'Very nice,' I answered non-committally, trying to ignore the still-empty hole in my stomach.

'But…' She was onto me.

'But I could eat that meal five times over and still go back for dessert. I'm a dhampir, woman. Are you trying to starve me?'

She laughed and looked down at her watch. 'We still have ten minutes before we have to get back to the departures lounge. Do you want to stop past the food court for something extra? My shout of course.'

I wasn't going to say no to that. 'Great, but not the food court. There's something you've absolutely _got_ to try,' I said, grabbing her hand and hustling her towards a doorway further down the terminal. Moroi were so picky with their food that I knew she wouldn't have tasted my favourite fast-food treat. Minutes later, we were heading back out of _Chickie's and Pete's_ , with me happily clutching a take-away box of steaming crab fries – those succulent, spicy little fingers of potato tantalising me with every waft of their sweet, salty aroma.

'So this is what a man in love looks like,' Karin teased me. 'Do you want me to go back and get you an extra napkin – I think you're drooling.'

'You have no idea what you've been missing,' I shook my head at her and veered over to a vacant bench-seat at the side of the terminal. 'Try this,' I ordered, dunking a couple of fries into the small tub of creamy cheese sauce and practically stuffing them into her mouth.

'Hmmm,' she faked enjoyment, sauce dripping down her chin from the handful of fries that were still sticking out of her mouth at crazy angles.

I wish I had a camera handy to capture the moment but my phone was tucked away in my bag, and I had a feeling Karin would kill me if I let any of the sauce get on her expensive-looking cashmere sweater. I grabbed the only napkin I had and carefully wiped the gooey mess from her face as she did her best to chew and swallow her mouthful. One particularly long fry was still protruding from her lips, and I couldn't resist plucking it out, greedily shoving it in my own mouth. It was heavenly.

'Wow. Just… wow,' she finally choked out, wiping her face with the back of her hand. 'That was the most disgusting and most delicious thing I may have ever tasted.'

'I told you...' I began my victory speech, but then froze when an announcement came over the intercom.

 _This is the final call for passengers travelling on the American Airlines flight AA4051 to Pittsburgh. If Mr Don Kardos and Ms Karin Torma are in the terminal, please report to the departures desk immediately._

 _Shit._ We were at the opposite end of the airport.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **A lot of teasing in this chapter, and it's only going to get worse as Don & Karin decide what to do next - run for the plane, or ditch their flight to spend some more time together!**_

 _ **I've been avoiding the 'see something you like?' line, but I thought it made sense here! A little Rose tribute :-)**_


	4. Ch 4 - Stranded

**4\. Stranded**

(Karin POV)

Don snapped into action at once, glancing from his watch to me. 'I am _so_ sorry. We can probably still make the flight if we run…' He fixed me with an urgent, enquiring gaze, holding out a hand to take my bag.

 _Damn._ It seemed like only moments ago that this strangely appealing dhampir had stepped into my life, and now suddenly our time was up. We wouldn't even be sitting together on the final leg to Pittsburgh.

'I can't… run, I mean,' I stuttered, feeling strangely off-balance. I wasn't ready for this (whatever _this_ was) to be over yet. I needed to stall for time. 'The whiskey on the plane, the wine. I think I am literally going to pee my pants.' It wasn't an elegant excuse, but it would do. 'Do you think you could go ahead and see if you can hold the flight while I use the bathroom?'

Don raised his eyebrows slightly but didn't argue. 'No problem,' he replied, stuffing a huge handful of crab fries into his mouth before binning the rest with a look of deep regret. He turned to me with a crazy grin, his cheeks so swollen with food that he reminded me of a chipmunk in autumn, and mumbled something nearly indiscernible (it might have been ' _think of waterfalls_ ') before turning to sprint towards the departures desk.

I looked after him with a shake of my head then hurried towards the ladies' room, trying to untangle my racing thoughts. As soon as I shut the door behind me I made my way to the sink and turned on the faucet, letting the cold water pool in my hands and splashing some over my face as I observed my flushed cheeks in the mirror. _What was I doing?_ I should be rushing to see Sonya right now but I couldn't kick the feeling that I was supposed to miss that plane.

Don Kardos was childish and overconfident, but he had a deeper side as well that I'd only just begun to glimpse, and I simply _had_ to find out if there was something more between us. My warning signals were telling me to stay well away – he was a guardian, we lived on opposite sides of the country, and I was meant to be here for Sonya not for me. But, then again, I was at a point in my life when I had to be a little bit selfish. I'd established a great career in my twenties, I'd travelled and had lots of fun, but now I wanted something… more. Maybe, just maybe, I could find that with Don? I dried my face and hands quickly then headed back out into the terminal and set off at a jog.

Don was waiting for me near the departures desk but strode forward to join me as I approached. 'I'm sorry, Karin, but they couldn't hold the flight,' his mouth was set in a thin line. 'I hope that doesn't ruin your plans with Marie.'

 _Marie? Oh yeah. I nearly forgot I'd given Sonya a fake name._ 'I'm really sorry – I tried to hurry but there was a long queue,' I apologised, dipping my eyelashes to mask the lie. 'I'll give Marie a call and let her know I've been delayed – I'm sure she'll be okay about it... But are you going to have problems with work?'

His expression relaxed. 'Not at all. I usually arrive at Court a day early when I return from leave so I can readjust to the nocturnal schedule – I'm actually not due back on duty until tomorrow night. I did have plans to catch up with a couple of guardian buddies when I got back but that can always wait for another time.'

'Thank God. I'd hate to cause you any trouble,' I looked up at him sheepishly.

A broad smile spread slowly across Don's face. 'Somehow I don't believe you, but I'll accept the apology anyway.'

I grinned back at him and there was a brief lull in the conversation before Don reminded me of the practicalities of our situation. We were still stranded.

'So how do you want to get back to Court then?' he asked. 'The girl at the desk said all flights to Pittsburgh are fully booked until tomorrow morning, so we can either wait around here in case there are any cancellations or find somewhere to stay tonight and book the next flight out at 8:30am?'

I didn't fancy holing up in an airport waiting room all night so I opted for the alternative. 'Let's book the morning flight,' I announced decisively. 'I've got a project I'm working on in Philly at the moment, anyway, that I wouldn't mind checking in on. You can come along if you like and see what people do for a living in the real world. We can sort out somewhere to stay later on.'

It would be expensive. We'd have to pay seats on another flight, accommodation and cab fares, but I had savings, and whatever we got up to tonight I had a feeling it was going to be worth the cost.

'Great!' Don replied, suddenly enthused about our upcoming adventure. 'So we'll just relax and enjoy the night. Take it as it comes. Go with the flow. See how things pan out...'

I rolled my eyes. 'Yes, Don. I get the point. You can shut-up now.'

'Yes, Mi'lady,' he replied with a smirk, shouldering both our bags and heading for the bookings desk.

* * *

(Don POV)

I felt invincible. Just when I was least expecting it, a strong, independent moroi with a wicked sense of humour and a body to die for had just walked into my life, and by some miracle she seemed to be as interested in me as I was in her.

Admittedly, it wasn't unusual for a woman to look twice at me, but those stolen glances rarely amounted to anything more than a fleeting encounter on the dance floor or a brief casual affair. I was typically the 'rebound guy', nice to play with but not a viable long-term investment.

But this thing with Karin seemed like something different. I can't remember the last time a woman opened up to me about something deeply personal, and then bothered to listen when I shared part of my story too. And then there was the fact she intentionally missed a plane flight just so we could spend a few more hours together. She tried to make it seem like an accident but I knew she was lying through her teeth (or was it 'lying through her fangs' for a moroi), and I was beginning to feel strangely turned-on by Karin's constant attempts to deceive me.

Okay, I had to admit I'd done my own share of lying too. There actually was a cancellation on the 6:00pm flight that could have gotten one of us back to Court but I couldn't bear to say goodbye to Karin so soon. Honesty might generally be considered a good basis for establishing a new relationship but, in this case, I felt the ends justified the means.

After we'd arranged our flight for the following morning, I gave Mikhail a quick call and told him not to expect me for drinks.

'No worries, Don,' Misha assured me. 'We'll catch up some time through the week and you can fill me in on what you've been up to while you were away. Sonya's got a girlfriend coming around to stay soon too, so maybe we can go out on a double-date if that works for you?'

Not likely. If things went well with Karin tonight I didn't want to screw things up by being seen out with another woman. I might have been around the block a few times before but I never broke my cardinal dating rule. _One at a time is fine. Two or more = man-whore._

'I'll let you know when I'm back. I'm sure we'll have plenty to talk about,' I finished up the conversation lightly, pocketing my phone and moving back to join Karin who was waiting for me at the cab rank.

It was nearing 4:00pm by the time we were dropped off on Broad Street in the city. The sun was still well above the horizon line but Karin didn't flinch as she stepped out into the afternoon light, casually fishing for a pair of designer sunglasses in her bag before leading me north-east along the busy sidewalk towards an unusually-large, modern-looking building on our left.

'Wow – did you design this?' I whistled, gazing up at the domed glass roof of the Kimmel Centre that stood proudly among the period-style buildings that surrounded it.

'Considering I was only eleven when this was built, no,' she replied with amusement, 'but I have spent a fair amount of time in this part of Philly, so I'm happy to play tour-guide if you have any questions. We're actually heading down the road a bit. I figured we could both use a walk.'

'Very thoughtful of you,' I nodded in appreciation, stretching the stiffness from my back before falling into step with her. 'So what kind of architect are you, anyway?'

'Now that's a good question,' she glanced across at me thoughtfully. 'If you'd asked me that a few years ago I would have said I design new-builds. Until recently I mostly worked with owner-builders, helping them draw up plans to make their dream home a reality. I can't stand the one-size-fits-all approach that so many people go for these days, so my focus has been on helping people design meaningful living spaces that are a true reflection of themselves.'

Hearing Karin talk about her job with such earnestness was refreshing – a lot of moroi girls I'd met at Court seemed to almost view work with disdain, simply accessing Daddy's line of credit when they wanted something beyond their means, but this woman was clearly as dedicated to her career as I was to mine.

'But lately I've started to… diversify,' Karin slowed to stop outside a beautiful old theatre, indicating towards several arched doorways that revealed a softly lit lobby within.

'Hmm?' I asked, not quite following.

'This is one of my current worksites – I've got a contract with the Academy of Music designing sets for the operas and musicals that are staged at this theatre. Do you want to see some of my work?' her voice was eager but slightly guarded like she was afraid I would say no.

 _As if I wouldn't want to see it?!_ 'Definitely. Lead the way!'

We stepped inside and headed for the front desk, which was manned by an elderly, moustached gentleman wearing a waistcoat and bow tie. 'Hi Harry. How're things?' Karin asked warmly, walking around the counter to grasp his broad, liver-spotted hands.

'Better now,' the old man beamed, kissing her on each cheek before eyeing me suspiciously. 'Who's the young buck? A beau of yours?'

She laughed like a peal of church bells, crystal-bright. 'No, Harry. Don is just a work colleague,' she answered, casting a sidelong glance at me. 'He's interning with me actually – wants to learn from the best. Is it okay if I give him a quick tour?'

Another lie. _Damn,_ she was hot.

'Of course, of course. Anything for you, Karin,' Harry consented readily, pushing us towards the stage door. 'You know where the lights are. Just give a holler if you need anything.'

The instant the door closed behind us we were left in pitch darkness and I felt Karin's hand slip into mine as we moved our way along what appeared to be a narrow corridor.

'Not scared of the dark are you?' she asked sweetly.

Impudent girl. 'Not likely.' I retorted, freeing my hand and instantly tripping over a box. I heard her scoff and followed the sound of her footsteps until the space opened out around us, my eyes finally adjusting to the dim surroundings.

'Stay there a minute,' a voice ordered, and seconds later a bluish-grey wash of light filtered out across the stage as Karin re-appeared from behind a curtain.

'Wow. This looks morbid. What's the show?' I asked, taking in the scene.

The stage was decked out as a kind of gothic imagining of Victorian London. Balconies rose up on either side of the set, against a backdrop of terraced houses and shop-fronts, and in the centre of it all stood a large, barred prison-cell.

'Sweeny Todd, of course,' Karin grinned, thrilled at my look of faint disgust.

I stared at her blankly and shook my head. 'Never heard of it. I haven't been to a show since an ex-girlfriend dragged me to a production of Grease in... 2004.'

'Seriously? You haven't been out to the theatre for over a decade? You really have no life.'

'Thanks for reminding me,' I gave her my most injured look. 'It's been a busy decade. Mass strigoi attacks, regicide, a new queen, you know how it is.'

'Alright,' Karin looked at me with bemusement. 'So you've got some catching up to do. Consider this the start of your education,' she gestured out to the set and began her lesson.

'So, there's an urban legend that Sweeny Todd – a simple barber – is wrongly imprisoned, and the judge that sentenced him raped his wife and adopted his only child.

'Charming,' I said with a grimace.

'But… when Sweeny is finally freed he comes back to Fleet Street to have his revenge.' Karin flicked a switch on the remote in her hands and the prison set began to revolve, swinging around to reveal an open-walled, two-story house. The lower level seemed to be a bakery, and a staircase on the left lead to an upper room, sparsely decorated with an old-fashioned reclining chair at one end.

I followed Karin as she mounted the stairs, continuing on with her narration. 'Sweeny rents the room above Mrs Lovett's pie shop and sets up his own barber's shop, where he becomes famed for giving the closest shave a man can have.'

She pushed me into the chair and I lay back, enjoying the drama. 'Cozy,' I grinned up at her, unzipping my jacket and half-closing my eyes as I acted out the role of a satisfied customer.

'But the only trouble is,' Karin continued, reaching over to a low table and picking up a prop razor, 'Sweeny gives some of his customers a much, much closer shave than they are expecting.'

I felt my heart begin to race as she drew closer, lowering herself over me and pulling the top of my shirt down to fully expose my neck. I stiffened slightly with anticipation and the tiniest hint of fear. It wasn't the razor in her hand that I was concerned about – that was just a ruse. Karin was adding an extra element of danger to the story, baring her fangs provocatively as she stared greedily at my throat. She was playing with me and enjoying every second.

Her voice dropped to a whisper. 'Sweeny Todd was free to cut any throat he wanted and nobody would ever find out… because dear Mrs Lovett downstairs was always pleased to receive an order of extra-tasty filling for her pies.'

I swallowed heavily as Karin's lips came tantalisingly close to the sensitive skin beside my adam's apple, feeling the warmth of her breath, but just as she raked her fangs lightly over my bare neck my world turned upside-down. The barber's chair tipped backwards and I found myself tumbling down some kind of chute, landing awkwardly in a pit of large foam blocks. I was in Mrs Lovett's pie shop, in 'the oven', and Karin was looking down at me in triumph from the barbershop above, peal after peal of laughter rocking her body.

I couldn't believe I'd let a moroi get the jump on me. I was so entranced by her that I didn't even notice her pull the lever beside the chair that dumped me so unceremoniously in this landing pit. My pride was sorely wounded. I considered running back up the stairs and pinning her to the chair so she could have a taste of her own medicine but decided on a more fitting punishment. I remained in the oven and groaned quietly, pretending I was injured, then sunk down lower into the foam and waited silently until she came downstairs to investigate.

'Are you okay?' Karin asked gingerly, peering into the oven.

Without a word of reply, my hand shot out and I dragged her in after me. 'Nobody is eating this customer for dinner!' I declared, tickling her mercilessly – her giggled, thrashing protests useless against my superior strength.

Wrestling with her until I'd gained a position of dominance, I pinned her against the foam, slinging a knee over her thighs to stop her from wiggling free. My left forearm secured her chest and shoulders, and I held my right hand steady – poised threateningly over her ribcage, ready to attack. 'You know, I actually think _you_ look like the tastiest morsel in this oven,' I teased.

My prisoner gasped as I swooped down, play-biting her neck, but as soon as my lips touched her I realised I'd put myself at a disadvantage. Lingering there for a moment longer than I'd intended to, her scent was absolutely intoxicating and the second bite turned into more of a kiss. She was already breathing in short, hard pants from our struggle, clawing at my arms and shoulders, but when my lips made contact with her skin she dug her fingers sharply into my biceps, and her breath escaped in a little moan that completely changed the situation.

I pulled back to look into her wanting eyes and a split-second later, my lips crashed down on hers.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Loved writing the Sweeny Todd scene. Set design was one of my career dreams when I was at high-school. I didn't do that but have played in the pit-orchestras for many productions so this was a good chance to put my own interests into the character.**_

 _ **Pashing with a hot dhampir in a hidden foam-pit is also now my new fantasy life-goal.**_


	5. Ch 5 - Possibilities

**_Hi. Just realised I should say - feel free to review/send me a PM. I check my FF account most days & enjoy having a chat so don't be shy :-)_**

 ** _Also, thanks to you all for reading - I know this is not a romitri tale, or even a mikya (Mikhail/Sonya) tale, so its nice that you've even given it a go!_**

* * *

 **5\. Possibilities**

(Karin POV)

'Is this... what you had in mind… when you designed this set?' Don whispered roughly between deep, frenzied kisses, one hand massaging my hip while the other snaked up my neck, fisting my hair and angling my face up to his.

The guardian had me half-pinned underneath him, and in the dim stage lighting I could just make out the strong outlines of his face and shoulders as he dropped his head for another offensive. 'Of course,' I gasped against his lips, closing my eyes with a shudder of pleasure as his tongue claimed entrance once again, brazen and insistent against mine.

 _What was this man doing to me?_ I was normally so in control but now any hint of restraint had vanished. I slipped my hands under his jacket, tugging at his tight cotton tee to draw him off-balance and bring his weight directly over me. Feeling his knee slip higher between my legs, I ground down against him, groaning at the welcome pressure which offered a momentary reprieve from the throbbing sensation that was building at my apex.

'Sweet Jesus, woman. Slow down,' Don hissed suddenly, disentangling himself from me and shifting back into a half-kneeling position.

My cheeks instantly flamed with embarrassment at his rebuff, and I made to roll over but the dhampir reached out a hand, gripping my wrist to still me.

'Wait, Karin,' he spoke hurriedly, the turbulence of lust darkening his voice and eyes. 'I just meant… you might need to give me a second.'

I frowned slightly then my eyes widened in understanding as I noticed the significant bulge tenting his pants. 'Oh… sorry. I guess I kind of got lost in the moment and forgot where we were for a minute. I didn't misread the signals, did I? Are we still okay?'

He shook his head slowly before gradually leaning forward and lowering himself back over me, pressing a slow, hard kiss to my jaw. 'We are more than okay, Karin. Signals blaring loud and clear.' Another kiss, this time tucked into the hollow of my neck. 'I just haven't been this close to a woman for a while and you're doing things to me I can't even explain. With all that wiggling and moaning a second ago, you were making it very hard for me not to rip your clothes off right here.'

'Very, _very_ hard, apparently,' I couldn't resist teasing him, but softened the blow by running my hands over his shoulders until my fingertips trailed through his hair, guiding him back to my mouth.

He sank into my lips with a muted groan, but this time the kiss was slow and steady as we took time to explore one another properly; tasting, probing, holding back then surging forwards in a tantalizing dance between desire and self-restraint. It was just as sexy as our earlier passion-fuelled encounter, and I was beginning to feel the tension building again when a voice cut out across the theatre.

'You still there, Karin?' the old usher called from the main doors, and we both froze like a pair of rabbits in the headlights.

I took a second to steady my breath before raising my head to reply. 'Just checking the chair mechanism is working smoothly, Harry.'

I clamped a hand over Don's mouth to suppress the laugh that I could feel welling up through his chest.

'Right-o,' Harry sung out. 'Thought I should let you know the soloists have got a technical rehearsal in half an hour. I'm heading out for a fag now so Trixie will be on the desk. Make sure you turn the lights out before you leave.'

The door creaked closed and silence settled over the theatre before Don and I collapsed against one another in fits of uncontrollable laughter. _That was close._

'How about we move this party elsewhere?' the dhampir suggested eventually, nipping my earlobe lightly before helping me up from the foamy depths of Mrs Lovett's oven.

'That sounds like a good plan,' I grinned, smoothing out my clothes and hair, and exiting the pie shop with as much dignity as I could muster.

By the time we emerged onto the pavement outside the theatre, the sun had already dropped low in the west and I glanced around warily. I'd been out past sunset plenty of times – this was a busy part of town and the chances of bumping into strigoi were pretty slim if you stayed on the main streets – but it still made me feel uneasy thinking about what was lurking out there in the growing darkness.

'We should probably figure out where we're staying tonight, Don,' I frowned up at him. 'I don't mind having dinner in the city but it's probably not a good idea for us to get stuck out here after the crowds disperse.'

'Agreed,' he nodded seriously, the rapid switch into guardian protector mode making my breath catch unexpectedly. 'Is there anywhere in particular you'd like to go?'

'Well, I'd normally stay in a little three-star place one block over but…'

'Absolutely not,' Don cut me off with a determined shake of his head. 'Tomorrow I'll be returning to my one-bedroom hovel at Court and I don't plan on spending my last night of freedom in some second-rate dive…' I smiled in amusement at his indignant expression but quickly sobered up when the dhampir reached out to grasp both of my hands in his. '…And seeing as I'm paying for tonight I can't have you thinking I'm a cheapskate. If we're doing this at all, we're doing it properly. So where do you really want to stay?'

I paused, struggling to form a coherent reply. _What were we doing exactly? This morning I didn't even know the guy, and now he wanted to put me up in some posh hotel. I wasn't normally shy about following my feelings, but this was fast even for me._

'So this is what, exactly… a date?' I clarified, my heart racing.

Don took a step closer, steering me away from the foot-traffic on the sidewalk into the shadow of the closest building. 'Look, Karin. I don't have time to mess you around. I know I'm a dhampir and you're a moroi, but you're the most amazing person I've met in years. My line of work isn't really conducive to having a personal life and I can't remember the last time I was in a meaningful relationship, but I've got this feeling about you. Do you think you could give me one night to see if there's something here – between us?' He gazed at me unflinchingly with those intense hazel eyes, his left hand sliding up my arm to rest on my shoulder, his fingers lightly brushing the skin just under the neck of my sweater.

'You don't play fair,' I whispered hoarsely, my free hand moving of its own accord to linger on his chest as I searched for the words I needed. 'If one night's all we've got, then we probably shouldn't waste it,' I finally replied, my own quiet excitement reflected in the dhampir's eyes. 'And as for where?... Well, I've always wanted to take a look at Penn's Landing after dark. How about we check in at The Hilton then have dinner somewhere down along the Spruce Street Harbor Park?'

A slow smile of satisfaction spread across Don's face - not the cocky, arrogant smile of a self-assured man who expected to get his way, but more like that of a prisoner who'd just been offered his first taste of freedom. 'I am yours to command, my Delilah,' he answered reverently, leaning down to deposit a kiss into my hair.

* * *

(Don POV)

After a pleasant half hour's walk to the river, we were currently standing in the modern hotel lobby of The Hilton, leaning against the counter as our check-in clerk tapped away at her computer keyboard.

'You're in luck, Sir,' the young blonde announced brightly. If I was single I'd say she was pretty, beautiful even, but beside Karin she didn't even warrant a second glance. 'We're mostly booked out with a wedding party tonight, but I can give you a room with two doubles on the city-side or a king suite with waterfront views.'

I hesitated, unsure of how to answer. Of course I knew which option I preferred but I didn't want to make Karin feel pressured in any way. Tonight's date was about taking things as they came – definitely not a guaranteed booty call.

There was a small movement to my left. 'We'll take the king suite, thanks,' Karin answered decisively, wrapping an arm around my waist and looking up at me with an innocent smile. 'No point staying on the water if we can't see it, hey?!'

I arched an eyebrow at her then buried my head in a hotel brochure to distract myself, shamefully aware that my cock was already beginning to swell at the mere thought of spending a whole night in the same bed as this incredible woman. When I was sure I had myself back in order I turned my attention to the desk-clerk. 'I see you've got a special package with sparkling wine and the full breakfast. Let's add that on too,' I said, laying my arm lazily over Karin's shoulder and giving it a squeeze. _No point staying in a hotel room with a hot girl without pulling out all the stops, hey?!_

Ten minutes later we'd found our door number and I swiped the key card for us to enter. It was a huge room, nearly as big as my entire apartment back at Court, with three tall windows opening out onto the picturesque Delaware River. A king sized bed – dressed with crisp white sheets and a silky, coffee-coloured eiderdown – took up one side of the room, while a wooden writing desk sat under the far window next to a large, wing-backed leather armchair and its matching ottoman. Karin sighed happily at the image of luxury that greeted us, slinging her bag onto the bed and kicking off her shoes before padding over to look out at the view. _So she liked it_ – _even if nothing else happened tonight, that was three hundred dollars well spent._

I followed suit, hanging my jacket on the back of the writing chair and making a brief detour past the cabinet by the bathroom door to collect our glasses of bubbly before joining Karin at the window. From this high up we could see the full sweep of the river, its twilight-blue waters dancing with the hazy reflections of countless lights that shone out from the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, dozens of tiny boats at anchor and the blanket of buildings on the far bank. It was absolutely stunning, but my attention quickly wandered to something far more interesting than the river-scape below.

'This sure beats what I was planning to do tonight,' I announced softly, stepping closer to the beautiful woman by my side and handing her a glass.

The moroi turned at the sound of my voice and looked directly into my eyes, our fingers brushing as she took her drink. I couldn't help but stare back at her. I'd never met a woman like Karin Torma before – somebody so bold, independent and in control, and yet still willing to show openness and vulnerability. She was like some beautiful fallen angel, only I didn't know whether I was meant to save her or fall at her feet and beg for mercy. Either way, I was ready to do whatever she required of me.

'So what shall we toast to,' Karin asked, searching my face like she was trying to read my thoughts.

 _To missed flights? To beauty? To love? No - none of those were quite right._ 'To possibilities,' I said finally, clinking my glass with hers.

'To possibilities,' she echoed, never taking her eyes from mine.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 ** _A lot of romitri stories play on the balance between animal attraction & romantic destiny. I wanted to give Don & Karin this same pull towards one-another - even if they can't explain how or why they have a connection they can't deny that it exists._**


	6. Ch 6 - Deserted Island

**_Okay... I REALLY enjoyed writing this chapter - hope you like reading it! Let me know what you think._**

* * *

 **6\. Deserted Island**

(Karin POV)

'So if you were stuck on a deserted island and you could only take one book, one music album and one type of food, what would you choose?' I asked Don, as we strolled hand in hand along the boardwalk towards the popular riverside parklands.

It wasn't a very original line of questioning but it was the quickest way to find out a little more about the man who had suddenly entered my life with the power and force of a fiery comet smashing through the Earth's atmosphere.

The guardian didn't answer right away as he was focused on making a quick visual sweep of our vicinity – it was dark by now but the path along the river was busy and well lit, lined by the water on one side and a row of trees strung with fairy lights on the other. When Don was satisfied there were no threats in the area he looked down at me with a more relaxed expression.

'Okay… Well, the book is easy. Any of the original James Bond novels by Ian Flemming would do the trick.' I raised an eyebrow but he continued on, valiantly defending his choice. 'Sure, the stories aren't 'fine literature' by any means, but they've got the fights, the girls, the cars. Who could go past that?! Diamonds are Forever would be my pick of the bunch.'

'Somehow I'm not surprised a guardian would be into spy thrillers,' I smiled wryly. 'And the album?'

This time he answered almost immediately. 'No contest. The 1981 Greatest Hits album by Queen. The best B-side on any album release _ever_.'

'I'm not sure if picking a compilation is allowed, but I'll let you have it this time... Do you have a favourite track? I've always loved Bohemian Rhapsody.' Honestly, it was the only Queen song I could think of off the top of my head but I didn't want to sound completely ignorant.

Don's face contorted as if he was in pain. 'It's cruel to make me choose between them when they're all so good, but if you forced me I'd have to go with _Flash_ – you know that song they made for the Flash Gordon movie in the 80's? I was so obsessed with that film when I was a little kid that I'd run around most afternoons saving the world in black trousers that were two sizes too small, a pair of gumboots and a red singlet with a lightning bolt logo I'd drawn on in marker pen. Mom even made me a special belt to go with the costume.'

Without warning, he let go of my hand and ran a few feet ahead, leaping up onto a cement bench seat that overlooked the river then turning back towards me and striking a superman pose. 'I was Flash – saviour of the universe, king of the impossible!' he declared dramatically, to the amusement of several passers-by.

Instead of simply stepping down from the seat, he jumped out and swung acrobatically from a nearby lamp-post, landing beside me as I caught up to him. I let out a shriek of surprise and delight as he lifted me off my feet.

'Need saving, honey?' Don asked with a playful waggle of his eyebrows, clutching me to his chest.

'Maybe, Flash.' I grinned up at him, and he gave me a swift peck on the lips before setting me back on my feet.

'Good, because rescuing damsels in distress is basically my M.O.,' he smirked, slipping his fingers through mine as we continued on towards parklands. 'Now there was one other thing you said I could take on this deserted island – what was it again?'

'Food,' I answered, slightly breathless as I recovered from the lingering effect of his touch that still tingled on my lips and shoulder blades.

Don looked at me as if the answer was obvious. 'But you already know my food weakness. I'd take crab fries, of course – a big truck-load of them – but only if they came with cheese sauce.'

I rolled my eyes in reply. _Oh well. At least if I married him he wouldn't be too difficult to please when it came to cooking dinner. Wait on. Shit. Did I just think that? It must just be Sonya's wedding playing on my mind. Woah horsey. One step at a time._

My date must have caught my rattled expression because he tilted his head curiously, brushing a lock of my short, wavy hair behind my ear to check I was okay. 'I sometimes feel flustered thinking about crab fries too,' he smiled at me gently, and I cursed the fact he could read me so well.

Fortunately, any momentary awkwardness was forgotten as we joined the ever-growing crowd of revellers heading towards the Spruce Street Harbor Park, and my moroi senses were assaulted by the sights, sounds and smells that greeted us from the main area of the pop-up park. The whole place had a laid-back festival feel, with families and couples wandering around the friendly space chatting as they chowed down on all kinds of fair-side treats. There was a hammock garden, the trees strung with hundreds of dangling LED lights, and groups of friends and strangers cheered one another on as they played over-sized games of jenga and chess.

'So I have actually been here in the daytime before,' I explained to Don as I pulled him through the streams of merry-makers towards the food vendor's stalls. 'And I know exactly where should go to eat.' It was part of the reason I chose Penn's Landing in the first place – a stroke of genius, really.

It was the dinner-rush by the time we reached the huge red shipping container that housed the pop-up Chicky's and Pete's outlet, but my dhampir companion beamed happily as we joined the long queue. 'I honestly think I love you, Karin Torma,' he announced, shaking his head in worshipful disbelief as he breathed in the salty aroma of crab fries.

'I always aim to please,' I winked up at him, secretly delighted that my dinner surprise had hit the spot.

We walked around the park as we ate our chips, sitting down at one point to watch a live band that was providing entertainment at the main stage, and generally enjoying one-another's company. Don found a beer garden that specialised in some of Philly's finest locally brewed beverages, and later on I insisted on getting a waffle and ice-cream sandwich from The Franklin Fountain.

Sitting down with our backs to the park and looking out over the river I chomped into my dessert, letting out a sigh of pleasure as the rich, gooey flavours tantalised my taste-buds. I did my best to ignore Don, who was watching on longingly, but seeing as he'd already eaten most of my dinner (in addition to a massive pulled-pork burger and at least six donuts) I figured this was one treat I didn't have to share. I'd just come to the last bite and thought I was safe when the greedy dhampir snatched at my free hand, bringing it to his mouth and proceeding to lick the sticky melted ice-cream off each of my fingers.

I laughed and tried to prise my hand away but he was very insistent, relishing his power over me just as much as he was enjoying the flavour of the ice-cream. But by the time he moved on to my other hand, what started out as a childish game of possession rapidly gave way to something else. His grip became softer, and his tongue lingered as it slid up each finger. When he reached the final smear of cream he took my little finger in his mouth and held my gaze as he lazily swirled his tongue around the fingertip.

'Want to find a hammock?' he asked when he was done.

All I could do was nod.

* * *

(Don POV)

'So, what would _you_ take on the island,' I asked her, running my fingers softly along her arm as we lay side by side on the hammock, her head resting on my shoulder as we gazed up at the long strings of lights that swayed softly from the trees above us.

'Huh?' she asked, sleepily, her hand straying under my jacket to stroke my chest.

'Stranded… deserted island… what would you take?' I asked, interested to know but not really minding if she didn't answer.

'Hmm... if I'm allowed to take a book series I'd pick Lord of the Rings – I'm not really into the Frodo/Sam bromance, but at least by the time I finished reading it someone would have come to rescue me for sure!' she chuckled to herself, '…or otherwise I think a blank journal would be the best way to pass the time.'

'Very creative. And the album?'

She thought for a minute before answering. 'Emergency on Planet Earth by Jamiroquai – that way if nobody came to save me I'd still die with a smile on my face.'

I laughed. 'That is an especially funky album. And how about the food?'

She twisted around, fixing me with a bemused expression. 'Seriously? You can't figure that one out by yourself?'

I had nothing. 'Karin, I've barely seen you eat since I met you. I'm going to need a hint, here.'

'Well… I'm moroi…' she prompted.

 _Oh yeah. Blood. How could I forget?_ 'Okay. So how would you prefer to take your blood? Freezer packs or a live donor?'

'I suppose you could be my donor, if you're offering?' the moroi suggested cheekily.

 _Fuck yes,_ my mind screamed _, and at the same time, no, no, no!_ I shifted uncomfortably in the hammock and studied her profile. 'Have you ever...? With a dhampir, I mean…?'

She flinched at the question and I realised I'd crossed a boundary. 'Sorry,' I apologised immediately. 'I know it's a personal thing to ask. You don't have to answer that.'

The moroi adjusted her position to look up at me. 'It's okay, Don. I don't mind talking about it. You just took me by surprise, that's all. I don't know if it's what you want to hear, but yeah… I've done it.

I don't know why it should matter to me, but my heart started racing at the thought of Karin sinking her fangs into another man. A dhampir like me.

'It was a long time ago – when I was a student at St. Vladimir's Academy,' she explained quietly. 'A few of the seniors were saying how great dhampir blood tasted, and I wanted to see if they were right. There was this young novice who used to follow me around like a puppy so when he asked me out I said yes, but only if he'd let me taste his blood. He wasn't too sure about it but he really wanted that date so he agreed.'

'What was it like?' I whispered, fascinated and horrified at the same time.

'It was fucking amazing,' she swore softly, 'but afterwards I felt terrible. He kept coming up to me and asking if I'd bite him again, but I knew it was wrong and couldn't bring myself to do it after that first time. He ended up hooking up with a few other moroi girls to get his high – he lost interest in his novice training and eventually flunked out of The Academy altogether. I know it wasn't just me to blame, but I felt like I'd… ruined him, and I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that.'

There was a long silence as I processed what I'd just heard. 'And what about you,' Karin's voice cut through my raging thoughts. 'Have you…?'

 _Okay, Kardos. Trust only works if it goes both ways. Time to get it out in the open._ 'Yeah. Sort of.' This was so hard to talk about I actually had to take a few controlled breaths before I could speak.

Karin's brow wrinkled in concern. 'You don't have to tell me if you don't want to…'

'No. I want to,' I wrapped my arm a little tighter around her, taking comfort in her warmth. 'It was nearly eight years ago. I was on a mission with a team of guardians – scoping out a warehouse in Pittsburgh where the Alchemists had reportedly sighted a pair of strigoi. There were eight of us on the mission, and I was the team leader so I went in first. Only our intel was bad – we thought we were going in after two strigoi but there were five in there.'

Karin clutched at my shirt, realising the severity of those odds.

'I managed to yell a warning to the others as just as they entered the building, but a female strigoi dragged me away from the main group. I fought until my strength gave out and assumed I was dead for sure but the creature seemed to take a morbid interest in me. I think she intended me to be her personal feedbag until she could come back and turn me, and from the second she bit me I was completely helpless – unable to defend myself, unable to even care what was happening to me or to my friends out in the warehouse. I was floating on a cloud and I didn't want to come down.'

'How did you get away?' Karin asked faintly.

'I guess I would have died eventually, only one of the guys on my team realised I was missing and made the decision to leave the others to come and get me. He couldn't take down the strigoi by himself, but he placed himself between her and my prone body, and defended me until the other guardians were free to come and finish the job.'

'Oh my God, Don. I had no idea,' the moroi shook her head in shock and disbelief. 'I've heard of people who've survived a strigoi bite and it really fucked with their heads. Depression, PTSD, self-harm, some even end up becoming blood whores to try to reach that high again. How the hell did you recover from that?'

'Well, I've always been a pretty headstrong person and I suppose I just refused to let someone else determine my future for me. Sometimes things aren't quite so easy, but I can normally find a way to laugh my problems off, and I'm lucky to have some really supportive people around me too. My best friend – the one who's getting married soon – was actually the guy who saved me, so I can't make out like I'm some superhero or anything. I just had something more to live for, I suppose.'

Karin's expression flickered from empathy to admiration, but finally settled on regret. 'You know, I'd never…' she trailed off, looking at my neck. '…I'd never actually bite you, Don. I feel so bad about earlier – in the chair at the theatre. I should never have joked about something like that.'

'It's okay, honey,' I assured her, running my fingers through her hair. 'I'm honestly okay now. If it was anybody else I probably would have punched them in the face, but with you… it was a complete turn-on, believe me. If you just stick to teasing I think I can handle it.'

She thought for a minute then shifted over me on the hammock, leaning in slowly to kiss my throat before whispering in my ear. 'I seriously doubt you can handle me, Flash.'

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Woo hoo - feel like I'm finally on form at last. I had one of those great days where the words just flowed & I somehow went from 0 words to a full chapter in the space of a few hours.**_

 _ **I knew Don & Karin were going to the riverside parklands but had NO idea Don was going to reveal that little bombshell until it came out on the page. Now I understand a bit more about Don's motivations in my previous story - how was able to empathise with Mikhail over Sonya's situation, why he reacted so badly when he saw Sonya at Mikhail's apartment after she'd been restored, and even why he acts like a bit of a jerk sometimes. **_

_**I think I subconsciously wanted to draw a parallel between Don & Eddie too - to show how different people survive trauma in their own way.**_

 _ **And the Flash Gordon bit was really fun to write too!**_

 _ **Promise lemons in next chapter!**_


	7. Ch 7 - I Want

_**Long, explicit lemon from 2nd Karin POV. Please review to let me know if you liked it!**_

* * *

 **7\. I Want…**

(Karin POV)

It was past eleven and the crowds were starting to thin out when we finally decided to head back to the hotel. I clung to my dhampir's hand as we walked slowly along the boardwalk towards the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, feeling strangely sad. This had been one of the best days of my life but it was rapidly drawing to an end. In only eight hours Don and I were due back at the airport, and then… what? We'd spent every minute of our time sharing stories about our past, discussing our jobs, our families and our interests, but we hadn't once talked about the future. I didn't want to scare the guy off by bringing up such a loaded topic, but I knew by now that I definitely didn't want tonight to be the end.

'What gives, hon?' Don asked, instantly aware of my shift in mood. 'You okay?'

'Yeah… Just tired I guess.' It was partly true.

The guardian stopped and pulled me over to the side of the path, under a tree strung with a flickering web of fairy lights. 'You've really got to stop doing that, Karin. You know I'm specially trained to tell when a person is lying,' he chastised lightly.

 _Damnit._ 'I know, I know,' I glanced away from him, trying to order my thoughts. _How was I going to say this without looking totally desperate?_ I got my courage up and looked him in the eye. 'I've just had such a great time with you tonight. I don't want it to be over yet.'

He studied me carefully, checking I wasn't still holding something back. 'Me too,' he replied simply, stepping closer to run a hand over my cheek. 'We don't have to go in yet if you want to hang out for a while longer. The park's probably getting a bit empty now for safety, but I'm sure we can find a bar that's still open if you'd like?'

 _Not what I meant._ I flicked my hair in mild agitation. 'Nah. Let's just head back. We probably should sleep at some point, I guess. Flights to catch and all…'

A ripple of confusion crossed over the dhampir's face but he shrugged off the comment and stepped back with a polite bow of the head. 'As you wish,' he announced, proffering a hand.

I smiled despite myself. 'You're dropping a Princess Bride reference? Really?' I asked, slipping my hand into the comforting curve of his palm and lacing my fingers through his.

Don's expression softened and his eyes lit up playfully. 'Yes, Buttercup. I think I am,' he chuckled, dropping a kiss to my forehead and leading me back towards the boardwalk.

* * *

(Don POV)

The last twelve hours with Karin had been incredible but now that the evening was winding down I wasn't quite sure how to proceed. The moroi had me hooked. Angel or vixen, I wanted more – so much more - but I still wasn't one hundred percent certain how she felt about me. Yes, there was obviously a strong physical attraction on both sides, and we naturally clicked when it came to conversation and interests, but was that all? I had a feeling she wanted to say more when we were walking back from the parklands, but something scared her off and now I was more confused than ever. I was normally so good at reading people, but something about Karin had my brain swimming. I only had a few hours left to figure this out and I really, really didn't want to screw this up.

A loud _ding_ rang out through the nearly-empty hotel lobby announcing the arrival of the elevator, and Karin and I entered the space quietly. A rowdy group of wedding guests were already inside – on their way back from the reception, I assumed, by the general level of inebriation – and I leaned around one rumpled bachelor to press the button for our floor as we crammed in beside them.

'Pretty lady!' one of the younger revellers suddenly burst out, earning him several laughs from his mates who patted him on the back, one going so far as to push the drunken Romeo in Karin's direction.

I instantly moved into action, taking a step in front of my moroi to defend her but she held a hand against my chest and flicked me a warning glance.

'Thanks, doll,' she addressed the young man. 'It looks like you're having a good night. How was the party?'

There was a braying of voices as they all jumped in to reply, each doing their best to catch her attention. It was, apparently, a good night. A guy called Pete had made out with one of the bridesmaids in the toilets, the groom had been royally pranked during the speeches (the bride was still crying), and the alcohol was free. There was an after-party was in room 509 if we wanted to join them.

After what felt like an eternity, the elevator stopped a few floors up and the wedding guests tumbled out into the hallway, one of them taking a moment to ogle back at Karin and present her with a groping gesture to demonstrate the weight of his apparently enormous manhood.

'Have another drink for me, boys,' Karin called after them lightly as the automatic doors slid closed.

There was a short silence before I opened my mouth to speak, but my companion turned to face me and managed to get in first. 'Thanks for stepping in there Flash, but you don't really have to save me. I've dealt with a lot worse than a few drunk boys in my time.'

I swallowed dryly. I didn't like thinking about her having to fend off 'drunk boys', let alone 'a lot worse'. As a guardian I'd seen too many cases of harmless fun quickly degrade into harassment and assault, and all of my instincts were screaming out for me to _do_ something. I wanted Karin to understand how dangerous that little scenario might have become – to make her promise she wouldn't take any unnecessary risks when we were apart.

I let my hands settle on her hips and pulled her closer to me. 'But it's my job to protect you,' I explained, almost roughly. _Too intense, moron. Take it easy._ 'I mean… I know you can handle yourself, but I want to…' My thumbs moved instinctively, nervously stroking at her waist.

'You want to what?' she spoke quietly, her head tilted slightly in question.

'…I want…' _I want to keep you safe._ I meant to look into her eyes but found my gaze wandering to her lips. _I want to have you all to myself._ By the time I'd gone that far I realised my eyes had slipped even lower, taking in the gentle curve of her breasts against the fabric of her sweater, the slim waist beneath my hands and those long, slender legs – far too covered up for me to fully appreciate them. 'I want you,' the words slipped out, and I held my breath, suddenly petrified to hear her response.

'Me too,' she whispered, bringing her hips forwards to brush against mine as her hands stole up my chest and looped around my neck.

My attention darted back to her face, and my heart-rate instantly accelerated at the sight of her deep, chocolate eyes – soft with emotion and darkened with desire. I let out a long, slow breath. I'd been at this point so many times before with girls who just wanted a quick lay – girls I was more than happy to please so long as they didn't expect anything from me afterwards. But this was different. I wanted this woman – body, heart and soul. I wanted…

A bell rang and the elevator doors opened.

'Come on,' I murmured, almost dragging her behind me as I escorted her along the hallway to our suite.

* * *

(Karin POV)

As soon as the door swung closed behind us Don turned to me with a look of raw desire. He discarded his key-card and wallet on the bedside table with a clatter and moved quickly towards me, manoeuvring me backwards by my hips until I was pressed firmly up against the opposite wall, trapping me with his body. My breathing quickened under his hungry gaze and he held back for only a second before the tension was too much for both of us. The urgency of his kiss was overwhelming and I gave in without hesitation, matching each demanding stroke of his tongue with equal need. I tugged feverishly at his jacket, desperate for better access to his chest, and he shrugged the offending item off – letting it fall on the floor at our feet, instantly forgotten in our rush to close the space between us once more.

'I said I want you, Karin,' the guardian whispered against my ear, one hand snaking up my body to clutch at my hair as the other slipped underneath my sweater, massaging deep circles into my lower back. 'But I think I was wrong. I _need_ you.'

 _Fuck. This was intense._ My breath caught as he trailed his way along my jawline, kissing and nipping roughly, until he reached the well between my collarbones. I felt his knee push up between my legs and I squirmed eagerly against him, acutely aware of the hardening erection that was now pressing into my thigh. _There was no way I could resist this… No way I wanted to stop him. Except…_

'Wait,' I struggled briefly in his grasp, a flush of colour flaming my cheeks, and he pulled back, flustered and confused. 'It's just… I haven't showered since last night and I've been in these clothes since seven this morning. I might need to freshen up a bit.' _Mood killer, but it was true._

The dhampir met my eyes and slowly shook his head. 'No,' he pronounced softly but firmly, nosing his way down towards my breasts then back up to my lips. 'You smell amazing.' His kiss was deep and uncompromising, his fingers combing through my hair as if he wanted to draw me into himself.

'You smell like you.' He lifted me up, my legs automatically circling around his waist as he carried me across to the bed. When I tumbled back onto the soft mattress he kicked off his shoes then crawled over me on all fours and gazed down at me possessively, spreading a palm flat against my stomach before pushing my top up to explore the exposed flesh at his leisure.

'You smell like sea-salt and cinnamon and passion-fruit and sex, and I don't want you to change a single thing,' he finished huskily, letting his stubble slide across my skin as he dropped teasing kisses along the waistline of my jeans.

'Okay,' I gave in, persuaded by the intoxicating attention he was currently lavishing on my hips. 'If that's what works for you… but if you're not going to let me take a shower, at least let me get these jeans off.' The tight denim was getting too restrictive, and while the seam between my legs was providing some welcome friction, I wanted so badly to feel his touch directly against my skin.

The dhampir raised his head to look up at me, his gaze smouldering with lust and devotion. 'Now _that_ I can allow,' he assented, hastily removing my ballet flats before unbuttoning my pants and dragging them down my legs as I wriggled back towards the pillows.

As soon as my legs were freed, my tank top and light cashmere sweater felt like a straight-jacket and I pulled them up over my head without a second thought, tossing them to the floor.

'Sweet Jesus,' Don swore brokenly, staring down at my lacy black underwear, the delicate flowers and tiny butterflies that bordered the sheer mesh triangles of my bra doing nothing to disguise the taut, dark buds peaking through the fabric. 'If I'd known you were wearing that when we checked-in earlier, there's no way I would have let you leave this room,' he hissed dangerously, casting my jeans aside and advancing on me as he spoke.

'Stop right there,' I commanded suddenly, leaning back on my elbows to study him. 'No more talking. Show me what you've got.' I was being very, very sassy but I didn't care. I'd been teased beyond the point of frustration and now I was tired of waiting.

The guardian froze, looking mildly shocked, then backed off the bed obediently. Standing at the foot of the bed, he fixed his eyes on mine and began to remove his black cotton tee – slowly, tauntingly. My breathing became shallower as I took in the toned sweep of his torso; hard muscles ripping beneath taught, lightly-tanned skin. I bit my lip in satisfaction at the dark trail of hair under his belly button, framed by a deep V – both drawing my attention downwards to the low-riding waistline of his jeans.

When he saw my gaze roam lower, a wave of eagerness quivered through Don's body and without further delay he released his belt buckle and dropped his pants, revealing a pair of thick, muscular thighs that I instantly wanted wrapped around me. The obvious protrusion beneath the tight pull of his jockey shorts made me squirm in anticipation, earning a wicked smile from the chiselled god.

'Better?' he arched an eyebrow.

 _Yessssss._ 'Just come here and kiss me,' I demanded breathlessly, already reaching out to trace the well-defined contours of his abs and chest as he lowered himself back over me and took possession of my mouth.

'You want to know a secret?' I whispered raggedly when we took a brief pause for air, feeling slightly drunk as I breathed in his heady, masculine aroma. 'I've never actually been with a dhampir before.'

The hazel eyes that had been studying me flooded with new desire, darkening to a rich golden-brown, and when I reached up to massage the tension from my lover's jaw, he grabbed my wrist, bringing it to his lips then pinning it above my head. 'Good,' he growled possessively. 'But I have to warn you… there are a few things you should know about my kind – guardians in particular – before we go too much further.'

My pulse quickened, 'Yes?' I'd never really considered that there might be any significant differences between our species when it came to love-making and my mind raced with the possibilities.

'Well, firstly, we're known for our strength…,' Don explained seriously, suddenly kneeling back on his heels, effortlessly lifting me up from the pillows and bringing me over his lap to straddle his thighs.

'…Our appetite…' A hand slid behind my back, expertly removing my bra, and in the next breath he was suckling at my breasts, teasing first one then the other. I threw my head back, whimpers of anguished delight escaping my lips as he swirled and nipped at each hard, sensitive peak before drawing it deeply into his mouth.

'…Our willingness to apply ourselves tirelessly to any mission and see it through to completion…' While my tumbling, fractured thoughts were distracted by the warm tugging at my nipples, I became overwhelmed by a new sensation and looked down to see his thumb slip between my legs, rubbing a torturous path over my swollen lips until I was whimpering and keening with need.

'And finally, our dedication to the one rule we hold above all others…,' he said, bringing his hips upwards to rub his straining manhood against my drenched panties, before adjusting the position of his hand to slip a single finger deep inside of me.

'What rule is that?' I practically begged, grinding wantonly against his thrusting hand as I rode out my pleasure.

The guardian brought his face up close to my ear, his own breathing rough and unsteady as he whispered the words that sent me spiralling into ecstasy. 'They come first.'

* * *

 ** _Author's Note:_**

 ** _Woo hoo - My first smutty lemon. How satisfying ;-)_**

 ** _To be continued in Chapter 8 (literally the entire chapter!)_**


	8. Ch 8 - Magic

_**This entire chapter is just a massive lemon. Things are going to get very kinky. ENJOY!**_

* * *

 **8\. Magic**

(Don POV)

' _FU...CK_!' The sound of her final, uninhibited cry echoed endlessly in my mind as I clutched the moroi against my chest, feeling her continue to rock spasmodically against me with each fresh wave that shuddered through her body. I wanted to go on pleasuring her but my movements were becoming clumsy, and my brain fuzzy and stupid – the blood normally used to power conscious thought currently redeployed to another, infinitely more persuasive part of my body. I gave in to my craving, gently removing my hand from between her legs and pushing up greedily against the moist fabric of her underwear with that painfully-throbbing part of me.

She stilled, taking a sharp intake of breath as she adjusted to the change, then began to rock once more, drawing herself over me again and again to soothe the ache that we both felt – hers the tender downward journey from exploding bliss to sated contentment, and mine only building in intensity and need. I groaned in pleasure, reaching my hands up to cup her small, upturned breasts, tweaking the ripe, dusky nipples between my thumb and forefinger as I teased around the entrance to her core.

'Is this good?' she breathed, soft and sensuous, her arms draped loosely over my shoulders as she continued sweeping her hips slowly, drawing out her own pleasure against me.

 _'_ _Mmmm_ ,' I mumbled incoherently, lifting my own hips to meet her at each pass. I barely had control of myself and let my eyelids fall closed as I lost myself in the sensations, eventually giving in altogether and burying my face against my lover's slender neck to immerse myself in her scent.

She nuzzled her face into my hair, trailing her bottom lip over my earlobe and nipping it lightly between her teeth. 'Well, I can keep on going like this until you can't stand it anymore…,' _that wouldn't take long at this rate_ , '…or alternately, I could show you some of the other skills in my repertoire if you'd like to try something a little more… creative?'

Her provocative words and gyrating movements elicited a deep groan of approval from me, but when she bit down a tiny bit harder with her fangs I pulled back with a shiver. Karin said earlier that she'd limit herself to teasing, but right now I wasn't so sure what she was really capable of, or exactly how far I was willing to let her go if she pushed me.

'Do you trust me?' she whispered, gazing sternly into my eyes.

 _No._ My mind warned instantly, but my body had other ideas. 'Yes,' I heard myself reply, and from that moment I was at her mercy.

Karin leaned in and smiled against my ear. 'Right answer, Flash. Now lie back and close your eyes,' she commanded, raising herself off me and pushing me back onto the mattress before hopping down from the bed and wandering across to the other side of the room.

I looked after her longingly, wondering why she was being so cruel leaving me waiting in this state, but obeyed her orders without question. My legs felt stiff as I stretched them out against the sheets and, as the seconds ticked by, I was becoming acutely aware of how vulnerable I was – lying nearly naked and fully aroused before a woman who had the power to compel me to do her will or, if she felt so inclined, sink her fangs into my neck and drain me dry. I hooked an arm under the back of my head to make myself more comfortable and took a few slow, deep breaths in an effort to calm my nerves.

It wasn't long before I felt a light pressure on the mattress, and my eyelids flew open to see Karin settling herself down beside me, clutching a glass of sparkling wine in one hand. The black lace panties were gone now, and even though she was sitting with her knees crossed to one side I had a clear view of the neat, dark strip of hair at the apex of her legs. Any slight decrease in arousal that may have occurred in her absence was suddenly and completely reversed and I felt myself almost violently stiffen to attention.

'Hello sailor,' the moroi's eyes widened in appreciation as she inspected my package. 'Now let me see how I can take care of you,' she addressed herself to my cock, handing me the wine glass without even making eye-contact so she could remove my boxer briefs.

'He's very happy to see you,' I replied on behalf of my straining erection, feeling weirdly left-out. _I'm jealous of my own cock. Well, that's a new low._

'The feeling's mutual,' she replied, flashing me a devious grin as she smoothed her hands up my thighs, intentionally skimming past the area that was crying out for relief.

By the time she returned to hover over my chest I was on the verge of flipping her over and taking her on the spot, but there was a look of warning and promise in her expression that made me wait.

'Seeing as you were generous enough to share your… guardian secrets… with me, I thought I should reciprocate the favour,' she began, a lock of her short, glossy hair dropping forwards over her face as she traced the outline of my lips with her thumb. 'I'm sure you're no stranger to moroi women, but I figure you could probably use a refresher on a few of the finer points.' Her fingers crept down my neck, wandering over my chest to toy with a nipple.

'What most dhampirs forget when it comes to my kind is that we aren't all self-entitled brats in constant need of protection. We are a strong, powerful race, and while some of our 'wise rulers' have discouraged us from using our powers, nobody can deny the truth – ancient magic still flows through our veins and even the elements bend to our will.'

Karin took the glass from my hand and held it up for me to see. 'Take this champagne for example. Up to eighty percent of wine is actually water, and if I can control that water...' she moved the glass over my chest and tipped it very slowly until the liquid crested dangerously at the rim.

I took a shallow breath, knowing what was coming but completely powerless to stop it. Karin didn't make any other movement but, as I watched, the alcohol began to trickle out of the glass, flowing towards my skin in a mesmerising stream. My whole body prickled in anticipation of the cold splash but, just before it hit me, the liquid paused – suspended less than an inch from my chest. I couldn't tear my eyes away from the shimmering bubbles that swirled up and down the cascade, but then my attention was drawn to a single droplet that separated itself from the stream, falling in slow motion to land in the middle of my chest and exploding with a tiny, inaudible pop. My muscles twitched at the cool touch, and when I flicked a glance up at my moroi torturess she smiled sweetly and relinquished her hold on the flow. The remainder of the champagne came crashing down in a rush, splashing against my skin and trickling over my pecs and abs like cold, wet, exploring fingers.

I flinched and sucked in a deep breath but she wasn't done.

'Then, there's air,' she instructed, discarding the empty glass on the bedside-table and kneeling beside me. She placed one hand on my shoulder and the other on my hip, then lowered her head to blow a long, steady gust of air over my torso.

My nipples hardened to tiny pebbles as the champagne nearly froze against my skin and I hissed at the sudden chill, grabbing at her nearest wrist to stop myself from doubling up in shock. I didn't have time to protest, though, because Karin's eyes darkened lustfully and she dropped her face to lick the champagne off my chest, working her way from one nipple to the other before following a teasing path down to my stomach. Everywhere her warm tongue hit my cold skin I shivered in pleasure and relief, arching up against her mouth to lead her to the parts of me that needed her most. She swept her tongue around my belly button and trailed her nose along the tight muscles of my abdomen, dropping hot, wet kisses on my quivering skin as she travelled ever lower. When she reached the top of my pubic bone, she raised her head just before her lips touched my straining, impatient cock, and shifted her position so that she was straddling my left leg.

Her voice was soft and dangerous when she spoke. 'Now, fire is normally thought of in terms of offensive magic, but you'd be surprised at how useful it can be in the right hands.'

 _Fire. This was going to hurt._ I wanted to shout out and tell her to stop, but I was so mesmerised by the moroi I couldn't move. _Fine._ _Do it._

Karin watched me carefully and when she saw the consent in my eyes she brought her palms together like a bowl, summoning a small tongue of flame that danced in the curve of her hands. When she lifted her arms, she released the flame into the air so it hovered above us like a flickering candle.

'Fire can burn and destroy, but heat can be used to energise and restore,' she explained quietly.

She held her palms up to the flame – just close enough to warm them – then brought her hands down to rest on my breast-bone, sinking her thumbs in firmly and holding a steady pressure. 'Breathe,' she instructed, and I suddenly felt like I was back in novice training, learning from an instructor far more experienced than I. The tension melted out of my body, and while I felt myself soften against her thigh my whole body immediately felt more balanced and calm. I stared into her eyes and let my hands creep up to rest on her hips as she shifted her thumbs half an inch lower.

'Yes?' she murmured, her breasts rising and falling slowly as our breathing fell into sync with one-another.

 _Yes._ I nodded, unable to speak.

After a few minutes Karin's focus shifted across my chest, and she reached out to warm her hands by the flame above us before moving her fingers down to stroke my nipples. 'Breathe,' she said again, taking each little nub between her thumb and index finger and rolling them gently, gradually increasing the pressure until I felt a warm, almost electric sensation light up my entire body.

Ever a fast learner, I shifted my hands up her waist and ribcage until I was cupping her breasts, mirroring her movements with my own fingers. Her dark eyelashes fluttered closed at my touch and she let out a deep sigh on the next exhale, her face a picture of pure relaxation and pleasure. _Goddam, she was the sexiest creature alive._

I was beginning to harden again when she gradually released the pressure on my nipples, dropping a warm kiss to each taut, pebbled peak before moving her attention southwards. In all my adult years, I don't think I'd ever spent this long on foreplay and I wondered why it hadn't occurred to me before now. I normally jumped at the chance to seal the deal as soon as my lady was pleasured, assuming orgasm was the surest way to achieve satisfaction, but now I wasn't so certain. The moroi and I had been at this game for nearly half an hour and I didn't care what happened next – just so long as it was with her.

Even so, I wasn't quite prepared for the next command. 'Open your legs,' she ordered, warming her hands then wiggling down to nestle between my knees.

'That's usually my line,' I raised an eyebrow self-consciously, but allowed her to draw my right knee up and out, exposing my inner thigh.

My trust was instantly rewarded, her hands closing over my manhood to caress and cup the tight flesh that had been aching for her all day. An involuntary grunt fell from my lips at her touch and while she continued to gently massage the area with one hand, the other slipped across to the crease that marked the juncture between my leg and body, pressing her thumb deeply into that point. The breath came tumbling out of me in a long hiss as I felt fresh energy flow powerfully into my already-swollen loins, and I had to close my eyes and focus intently on my breathing just to maintain a thread of control.

At some point Karin swapped to the other leg, and I was grateful for a brief respite from the throbbing ache of pleasure before the pressure started to build once more. 'Just breathe,' she reminded me with a catch in her voice, and my eyes flashed open to see the pink flush of arousal spreading across her chest as her fingers played tenderly with my cock.

'I need you, Karin,' I choked out, reaching for her, but she shook her head.

'Not yet,' she denied me. _Christ. I'm not going to last._ 'What haven't you asked me?' the moroi quizzed cryptically.

 _What the fuck was she was talking about?_ I struggled to think, trying to resist the urgent messages my body was screaming at me. _She'd tortured me with water, air and fire. Wasn't that enough?_

'Earth,' I realised groggily as her hands continued to stroke and tease. 'How are you going to use earth?'

There was an instant change in the room and I had a sudden moment of clarity as she removed her touch from my skin, moving silently, slowly to straddle my hips. I looked up at her in fear and awe as she leant down to whisper something in my ear.

'That's the best part of all,' she breathed, one hand slipping between her own legs as she dropped a wet kiss onto my jaw. 'Earth magic is my specialisation. This whole time I've been controlling the iron in your blood, regulating the flow of blood in your veins to heighten your pleasure while preventing you from reaching orgasm. Without my help you would have given in ages ago, but now I've got you right where I want you.'

 _She-devil. I should have known I was being manipulated but I was too distracted to realise or to care._ 'And where is that, exactly?' I challenged, clutching at one last an ounce of control as I reached a hand behind her neck, dragging her down to my waiting lips.

'Ready,' she whispered, sliding her warm, wet opening over the tip of my throbbing cock.

She was right. I was ready. More than ready. I growled wildly and threw her onto her back, planting myself deeply inside her – losing myself in her wanton cries of delight as we made love without restraint, without haste, until we reached that point where nothing else mattered and the whole world exploded in a dizzying spray of colour and light as we both let go together.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **So I should explain that my main reason for writing this story was to practice writing raunchy lemons. Hence this chapter.**_

 _ **If you're wondering how Karin is so super magicy, I think it's quite possible in the VA world. Everyone got the basic training in all 4 elements before they specialised, so I think a headstrong, independent woman might come up with some creative ways to use her... special skills. ;-)**_

 _ **All of Karin's 'fire' moves are based on legitimate acupressure techniques - they sound kind of nice, hey?!**_


	9. Ch 9 - Back to Reality

_**Dimitri alert!**_

* * *

 **9\. Back to Reality**

(Karin POV)

We'd finished breakfast and were now snuggled together in the luxurious hotel-room bed, sitting up with our backs against the richly upholstered headboard to watch the sky lighten over the Delaware River.

'I'm pretty sure what you did to me last night was illegal,' Don murmured into my hair as he pulled me in close to his chest.

'You going to charge me, Guardian Kardos?' I teased him, planting a kiss on his naked chest.

'I'll let you off with a warning this time, but if you try it again…' he cautioned sternly, his eyes openly begging me to try again (and again and again).

'Well, the thought _had_ crossed my mind,' I replied saucily, ghosting a hand lightly over his bicep, 'but I'm afraid I can't tempt you this morning. We've already missed one flight in the last twenty-four hours and I don't think I'll be able to come up with a believable reason for missing a second one.'

The dhampir sighed in agreement. 'I guess you're right. My boss Hans would be pretty pissed if I was late for my first shift back at work.' He gave my shoulder a squeeze and kissed me once, sweet and slow, before turning back the covers and getting out of bed. 'Time to get moving then, beautiful.'

We showered quickly before getting dressed, and I eventually decided against wearing underwear, convinced that last night's sex-drenched panties would alert the sniffer dogs at the airport. When I turned around to hunt for my shirt I realised that Don had already found it. The man was now sitting – fully clothed – on the edge of the bed, mindlessly fiddling with the balled up fabric in his lap, his eyes tracing over me with a look of blatant wonder and adoration.

'So when was the last time you actually saw a naked woman, Flash? I asked him curiously. It was none of my business, really, but for somebody who presented himself as such a player he was acting like he'd never seen a pair of breasts before.

'Not including movies or personal fantasies?' he clarified thoughtfully.

I shook my head with a smirk. 'No – real, live women only.'

'Don't laugh, but… nearly a year ago,' came the unexpected reply. 'And funnily enough, that wasn't even a woman I was having sex with.'

I lifted an eyebrow, demanding explanation.

Don raised his hands innocently. 'I just turned up at my best friend's apartment and his girlfriend walked out of the shower in her birthday suit. Nothing I could do but stand back and enjoy the spectacle.'

'I'm sure you did just that,' I answered wryly. '...But I'm glad you have something new to fantasise about now,' I added, feeling just the tiniest bit jealous of some unknown naked woman from my lover's past.

'You'd better believe it, sexy,' Don smiled in agreement, staring brazenly at my chest one last time before throwing me my shirt.

Less than an hour later we were seated on the plane and waiting for take-off. The flight to Pittsburgh was only scheduled to take seventy minutes – not long enough for everything we had left to say – but we spent most of that time in silence, the arm-rest between us folded back so we could sit closer together. Don never shifted his attention from me; clasping me under his arm, stroking my leg or lacing his fingers through mine as though he couldn't bear for us to be apart even for one second.

I felt drunk. It had been over a year since I'd been in any kind of relationship – much, much longer since I'd had such a deep and instant connection with another man. I'd _never_ been so open with anybody about my magic before and I was still slightly in shock at how compatible we'd been in bed, but was it too good to be true? It was definitely fate that we'd met like this, but I wasn't sure if this affair was meant to last. Reality was about to hit the moment we stepped off this plane and I didn't know how our lives could logistically fit together – Don was sworn to uphold his duty as a guardian at the Royal Court, protecting the lives of other moroi far more important than me in the greater scheme of things. Meanwhile, I lived two and a half thousand miles away from Court and I couldn't just drop everything and move to the east coast. I didn't have the luxury of sailing through on my parents' inheritance like some of the more privileged moroi I knew – I had to work for a living and most of my projects were still based in Seattle.

'So how are you getting to Court?' Don asked when we began our descent into Pittsburgh. 'Hans Croft will have sent a guardian to collect me, but I'm sure we can squeeze you in if you want a lift?'

 _Damn. There just wasn't enough time._ 'My friend has already arranged for somebody to meet me at the arrivals gate,' I frowned apologetically. 'She said I wouldn't be able to miss him.'

Silence fell between us, relieved only by the dull screaming noise of the plane's wings hitting resistance as the engines slowed for landing.

'And after?' the dhampir pressed, 'when we get to Court. Do you think I could see you again?'

When I looked up at him my heart nearly melted at the sincerity that clearly lined his features. How could I have ever thought Don was just a pretty man-child? This man was tender, passionate, strong, driven – everything I wanted in a partner.

'No,' I surprised myself, wildly scrambling for the words to explain myself.

His face fell and I nearly changed my mind, but in the end I stuck to my instincts, stealing a hand up to stroke his cheek.

'The last twenty-four hours have been incredible Don – life-changing even – but I think I need a chance to process what's happened between us. My best friend's wedding is only a few weeks away, and I owe her my undivided time and attention, especially after we've been apart for so long. If you and I could just hold off a little bit longer, that would give me time to take care of my responsibilities and allow you to settle back into your normal work routine as well. If we still feel the same way about one another after that, then maybe we can figure out a way to make this work?'

The initial hurt and confusion in the dhampir's eyes soon gave way to relief, and a hopeful smile spread across his face. 'You, my moroi goddess, are worth the wait,' he breathed, hugging me to his chest and pressing his lips, like a promise, into my hair.

* * *

(Don POV)

I held Karin's hand until we reached the terminal then turned to her one last time, tucking my phone number into her pocket. 'Remember, you can call or text me anytime. I can't guarantee I'll be able to answer right away if I'm on duty, but I'll check my cell as often as I can,' I promised, dropping a quick kiss to her lips.

'You can count on it,' she replied, nipping lightly at my bottom lip before releasing me and glancing around the terminal. 'Hey, I think that might be my lift,' she said, nodding at a massive figure in black who was waiting off to one side of the happy crowd gathered to greet their loved ones.

My smile widened into a grin when I saw who she was pointing to but I didn't say anything, simply following her towards the tall, long-haired guardian in the leather duster.

'Ms Torma?' Dimitri enquired smoothly as we approached him. 'My name is Guardian Belikov. I've been sent from Court to collect you. I've already taken the liberty of collecting your bags. How was your flight?'

'Fine thank you,' Karin replied primly, glancing back to invite me into the exchange. 'Have you met my friend, Guardian Kardos?'

A ghost of a smile played around the corners of the younger guardian's lips. 'Yes, Ms Torma. I'm actually here to pick up Guardian Kardos as well,' he explained, before turning to address himself to me. 'Hans heard I was driving down for our moroi guest and thought it prudent to… how do you say… kill two stones with one bird?'

I nearly doubled up in laughter. 'Something like that, buddy,' I grinned up at the Russian beast. 'It's great to see you again. How's Guardian Hathaway?'

Dimitri's cheeks flushed and he narrowed his eyes at me testily. 'She's very well, thank you, Don,' he replied with a finality that warned me to leave well alone. Practically everybody at Court knew about Rose and Dimitri's love affair by now, but it was still extremely rare for two guardians to be in a long-term relationship and they tried to keep their business as private as possible.

'I imagine the two of you are... making the most of your time together now you're back from your recent mission to Palm Springs?' I bantered on, unable to quench the feeling of levity that had overtaken me in the past few minutes. An hour ago I didn't know if I'd ever see Karin again, and now we had a bonus two hour drive to Court _and_ she'd promised to stay in touch whenever she could.

'You really need to learn when to let things go, Don,' Dimitri shook his head at me.

'Trouble in paradise?' I prodded gleefully.

He didn't even bother replying this time, simply turning to Karin with a look of barely-concealed impatience. 'I apologise for my colleague, Ms Torma. He may be nearly ten years my senior but he takes great pleasure in behaving like a naughty little boy sometimes.'

The moroi frowned empathetically and eyed me with an expression of mild disappointment. 'Well, naughty little boys normally get what they deserve in the end,' she tutted for Dimitri's benefit, and I had to stop myself from laughing out loud when I caught her surreptitious wink.

When we reached the black guardian SUV, Dimitri offered Karin the front seat but she declined politely, saying she'd had a late night and might try to catch up on some sleep in the car. When I got the follow up invitation I refused on the same grounds, earning a suspicious lift of the brow from the Russian, but he didn't question either of us further. The drive home was spent comfortably, the three of us conversing on and off about a range of light topics – Karin's work, my holiday to Michigan, the latest guardian news – and all too soon we were pulling into the main gates of Court.

'I'll drop you off at HQ first Don, so you can touch base with Hans and collect your duty roster for the coming week, then I can deliver Ms Torma to her lodgings,' Dimitri informed us, glancing back in the rear vision mirror. I quickly retrieved my hand from its hiding place – tucked snuggly under the handbag that had been resting on Karin's lap – and prepared to return to reality.

'It was lovely meeting you, Karin,' I shook her hand civilly, summoning every last ounce of control just to stop myself from wrapping her in my arms and kissing her until someone would need to hose us down to separate us.

'The feeling is mutual,' she echoed, squeezing my fingers tightly before I finally had to pull away.

Once I was out of the car, Dimitri lowered his window to bid me farewell.

'You take extra care of this one,' I warned him sternly, nodding to the woman in the backseat, 'because if any harm comes to a single hair on Ms Torma's head I will be forced to challenge you to a sparring session, in which I will beat you to a crying pulp.' It was a ridiculous thing to say, but I couldn't help myself. Leaving Karin in the care of another man, especially a young, hulking guardian like Dimitri Belikov, brought out some alpha-male instinct in me and I suddenly felt a burning need to assert myself.

This time Dimitri's eyebrow arched so high it nearly hit the roof but he schooled his expression and remained ever the professional. 'I wouldn't dream of allowing any harm to come to the moroi in my charge,' he responded seriously, before adding one parting shot. '...Especially if it meant avoiding being beaten to a pulp by a raving lunatic like you, Don Kardos.'

 _Touché._ 'Consider yourself warned, Belikov,' I countered, turning from the car with a final wave to Karin and making my way up the front stairs to Guardian HQ.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **This chapter basically describes that awkward period in a new relationship where you know it's something special, but you're still not sure exactly where it's going yet.**_

 _ **It was really fun trying to imagine the dynamic between Don & Dimitri (I don't think I ever had those two characters paired in a conversation in my other story so this was new for me)**_

 _ **If you have read Undying Love, you may remember that the naked woman Don saw was Sonya!**_

 _ **Massive thanks to Lea0014 who filled me in on the main plot-points of Bloodlines - which I haven't read - so I could stay vaguely in-line with the canon.**_


	10. Ch 10 - Text Me

**10\. Text Me**

 **Tuesday, 5am**

 _K: Hi. This is my number if you want to text me. Hope your first night back at work went well. K._

 _D: Glad you didn't lose my number! Work busy but uneventful. Miss you already. D._

 _K: I'm sure if I did lose your number you'd find a way to track me down – guardian secrets and all._

 _D: Naturally... So how are your digs?_

 _K: Staying in a cute little place a few blocks back from Guardian HQ actually. Just snuggled up on the couch watching my best friend cook me breakfast... or is it dinner? Still adjusting to the nocturnal schedule._

 _D: Sounds nice and relaxing. Wish I was there with you. Rats – gotta go. The next guardian's here for handover. Talk to you soon. xox_

* * *

 **Wednesday, 10am**

 _D: Did my washing after work today and found your bra stuffed in my bag. Hard to explain to my friend who walked in as I was hanging out the clothes._

 _K: Very funny!_

 _K: You are joking, aren't you?..._

 _K: Shit. I actually haven't seen that bra since Philly. Please don't lose it – it's one of my favourites._

 _D: Wouldn't dream of parting with it. I promise I'll keep it safe. Probably under my pillow. Too stalkery?_

 _K: A little bit stalkery but I'll take it as a compliment._

 _K: Hey, question… I'm thinking of organising a hens night for my girlfriend that's getting married. Only problem is she's not really the partying type and I don't know what other options are available around here. Any ideas?_

 _D: Event management isn't really my thing but I could ask around and get back to you if that helps?_

 _K: Thanks hon. I really appreciate it._

 _D: So you're calling me hon now?_

 _K: Got a problem with that?_

 _D: No_

 _K: Good. Sleep well hon._

 _D: Same to you beautiful_

* * *

 **Thursday, 2am**

 _D: Have some ideas on the hens night thing_

 _K: Shoot_

 _D: Knitting circle_

 _K: What?_

 _D: You said she wasn't the partying type_

 _K: Very funny_

 _D: Fine then. Private karaoke bar._

 _K: Not bad – let me have a think about it. Anything else?_

 _D: Wine tasting tour. It'd mean a bit of organising with the guardian detail but I could switch my shifts around to help out if you need me._

 _K: That sounds more like her thing. If I research a few places in the area and give you an idea of numbers could you draw up an itinerary for us?_

 _D: No problem at all_

 _K: You're a gem_

 _D: I should mention that I know a good male stripper if you're interested..._

 _K: I know. I've seen your work ;-)_

 _D: Your friends can't handle this body_

 _K: *Rolls eyes*_

* * *

 **Friday, 10pm**

 _K: So. This is a bit weird but I kind of have a blind date tomorrow tonight._

 _D: Okay…_

 _K: I don't want to go I promise you, but my best friend is trying to set me up with some guy her fiancée knows. He's probably going to be some skinny moroi toff with greasy hair and an interest in collecting model cars._

 _D: Sounds like a fun night out_

 _K: Kill me now. Thank God it's a double-date so I won't actually have to talk to the guy. I just wish it was you I was having dinner with._

 _D: Me too. As soon as this wedding business is over I promise I'll take you out somewhere extra nice to make up for it._

 _K: I was hoping you'd say that :-)_

* * *

 **Saturday, 1am**

 _K: So what should I wear for this date?_

 _D: A hessian sack_

 _K: I'm not sure they'll let me into the restaurant wearing that_

 _D: Two hessian sacks_

 _K: Thanks. You've been so helpful._

* * *

 **Saturday, 4am**

 _D: Just found out I'm heading out on the town later tonight too. My buddy's invited me out for drinks. Strictly boys thing only, so he tells me. Funny if we bumped into one another._

 _K: I'll be the one wearing a hessian sack_

 _D: Then I will dress to match_

 _K: We will make such a cute couple_

 _D: Mmm… I like that idea a lot_

 _K: Yeah. Me too xox_

 _D: XOX =3  
_

 _K: What the hell is that thing at the end?_

 _D: I was trying to make a love heart_

 _K: Ah - I thought it was a dick and balls_

 _D: Haha. Dying 3:-{_

 _K: Ok. I have no idea_

 _D: Ass-hat (me)_

 _K: You're a child but I love you_

 _D: And you're a cruel minx who's going on a date with another man while I drink away my sorrows but I love you too_

* * *

 **Saturday, 7pm**

 _K: We're at the restaurant now waiting for the others to arrive. Can you call me in an hour? If things go badly I might need an excuse to get out of here._

 _D: Of course - I told you rescuing damsels in distress is my thing!_

 _D: If you let me know where you are I can come and break you out of there. You can crash our boys night or we can sneak off and have our own night on the town._

 _K:_ _Thanks Flash. You've got yourself a d_ _eal! XOXOXOXOX_

 _D: XOXOXOXOX!_

* * *

(Don POV)

'Come on, Don,' Mikhail urged me from the kerb, glancing at his watch.

I tucked my cell into my back pocket. 'Sorry, just had a thing I needed to sort out,' I replied vaguely, adjusting my focus back to my best friend and resolving not to think about Karin Torma for the next hour. This was supposed to be Misha's night after all – a chance for us to catch up properly over a nice dinner and a few drinks before the wedding (and before Sonya would likely set him on a baby-making schedule that meant I would never get to see him again).

My friend shot me a curious look as we fell into step together, heading towards our destination one block over – some fancy steakhouse apparently. 'You've been checking your phone a lot since you came back from leave,' he observed evenly. 'Is there something you want to tell me?'

 _So much for not thinking about Karin._ I wasn't really planning to say anything yet – things were still so new and up in the air with this relationship – but I'd already been holding out on my best friend for nearly a week. 'I might have met somebody,' I shrugged, trying to downplay the excitement I felt every time I thought of the feisty moroi who'd changed my life in a single night. _Christ, I wanted to see her._

'Oh... okay.' The reaction was hesitant, slightly awkward, and it was my turn to throw him a questioning look.

Mikhail winced slightly and ran a hand through his hair – never a good sign. 'Um… it's just, I may have bent the truth when I said this was going to be a boys night.'

 _Huh? How'd I miss that? Misha couldn't lie to save his life._

'I told Sonya we should let you in on the secret,' he continued sheepishly, 'but she was adamant that I kept it a surprise. She thought it would be cute to see if her chief bridesmaid might hit it off with my best man, so this is actually more of a double-date than a drinking session.'

My brain clunked. The usually finely-purring mechanism that solved complex problems, organised guardian missions and reacted quickly to life-threatening situations flipped over rustily as I began to put the pieces together. _Karin was at Court to help with preparations for her best friend's upcoming wedding. And she'd been set up on a double-date tonight too. When we first met on the plane to Philly I remember wondering if there was a connection between Karin and Sonya, but she was quite clear her friend's name was Marie so I'd dismissed it as a weird co-incidence. But now…?_

'Is this going to be alright, Don?' Misha asked as we reached our restaurant, pausing on the sidewalk outside the front door. 'I feel really bad. Sonya was so excited about treating her friend to a fun night out and I just assumed you'd be okay with it too. If I knew you'd met someone I would never have dreamed of messing things around for you.'

 _Was it going to be alright? Well… we'd soon find out._ 'No problem, Mish. I know how persuasive those moroi broads can be. I guess I'll just muddle through and try not to offend anybody.'

'So the usual plan, then,' my friend chuckled. 'If you end up getting in trouble with your girlfriend you can always tell her it was my fault.'

'Oh trust me – I will!' I assured him with a grimace, and stepped into the restaurant.

* * *

(Karin POV)

'Sorry, Karin. The boys seem to be running a bit late,' Sonya apologised as she returned from the bathroom, slipping into the seat opposite me.

I pushed a glass of house red towards her and picked up my own drink to take a generous gulp. 'So, you haven't actually told me who you're setting me up with yet,' I eyeballed her over the rim of the glass. 'Can't you give me a clue?'

'Well that would kind of negate the point of a 'blind' date, Karin. You're always so impatient. Can't you just enjoy the anticipation?'

I rolled my eyes. 'You've been shacked up with Mikhail for long enough now that I think you've forgotten how painful the dating scene really is. Remember the time your cousin Emily set me up with that guy from her ballet studio… what did we call him? Tiny Prancer; I turned up in six inch heels to find my date was a moroi guy no taller than five foot five. His fedora had more sequins than my dress and he insisted I dance the rhumba with him until he got angry at me for stepping on his alligator skin shoes too many times.'

I shuddered at the painful memory, but Sonya seemed to find something outrageously amusing and covered her mouth with her hand to hide her laughter.

 _So it's funny is it?_ I thought crossly, before remembering another example I knew would hit closer to home. 'Or what about the time I dated that law student and he hooked you up with one of his classmates?'

Sonya stiffened then groaned. 'The Perve. How could I forget? Who knew _college guy and art lover_ meant a balding mature-age student with a wide collection of vintage porn?'

'See!' I proclaimed, setting my glass down a little too heavily. 'Blind dates are _not_ the answer. At least if you fill me in on the worst thing you know about tonight's guy then I won't be disappointed when he turns up and shows his true colours. Come on – cough up some details.'

'Alright – if you insist,' she relented finally. 'Well, for a start, he's a dhampir – a guardian actually.'

'What?' I nearly gagged. I assumed Sonya would have picked out some arty moroi type for me, not a guardian. _What if this guy knew Don? Oh my God – what if he WAS Don?! When we first met on the plane I'd made some very private confessions regarding Mikhail and Sonya (albeit heavily laced with lies and half-truths) that I never thought would come out into the open. But now…?_

Sonya must have noticed my panicked expression. 'Don't freak out on me, Karrie. I know we always said guardians were a no-go zone when we were younger but he's a really nice guy, I promise. Mikhail's known him for years – they're best friends actually. As for bad points, he's got a terrible sense of humour and literally no tact, but he's genuinely a good person – easy-going, a loyal friend, dedicated to his job without being a complete hermit...'

 _Oh shit. The description was unmistakable. What was Don going to think when he found out I'd lied to him right from the start?... And for that matter, what the hell was he doing out on a date anyway? He was supposed to be having drinks with one of his buddies tonight._

'And he's pretty hot too,' my friend added as an afterthought, taking a dainty sip of her wine.

'Sonya!' I exclaimed, shocked. 'You're getting married next week.'

'I'm not married yet,' she smirked at me, making my eyes nearly pop out of my head.

'Who are you and where have you stashed my sweet, sensible friend?'

'Ssh!' she hissed in a stage whisper, looking over my shoulder towards the door. 'They're here.'

I froze, staring unseeingly into the inky-red depths of my wine glass, while Sonya rose gracefully from her seat and put on her most charming smile.

'Hello, my beautiful wife-to-be,' Mikhail gushed, wrapping his arms around the traitor who'd set me up on this farce of a date.

'It's so good to see you, Misha,' Sonya snuggled into her fiancé's embrace then stood back to greet the other newcomer who hovered a half-step behind. 'Don, I'd like you to meet my best friend Karin. Karin, this is Don.'

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **The text messages were oh so fun to write. It was a useful 'time-passing' device but also brought out the way Don & Karin are becoming closer even though they are apart. I love the idea that Don wouldn't know how to use an emoji (stupid old people & technology! heh-heh)**_

 _ **And now, our lovers are finally put face to face on a rather awkward double-date. Let's see how they cope!**_


	11. Ch 11 - Eyes Open

**11\. Eyes Open**

(Don POV)

'Don, I'd like you to meet my best friend Karin. Karin, this is Don,' Sonya smiled broadly, tugging on the seated woman's arm to draw her up to face me.

As soon as I saw my date I felt underdressed in my dark button-down and jeans. _So much for the hessian sack_ , I thought, looking her up and down with unmasked appreciation. She was wearing a little black dress that hugged her figure, with legs for miles and a triangular cut out section in the front that made it obvious she wasn't wearing a bra - if I wasn't smitten already that dress would have been the last straw.

I was going to lead with a compliment but that plan was shot to hell when I noticed Karin's strained expression. There was no warm welcome, no twinkle in her eye to suggest this was simply a charming misunderstanding we'd all laugh about later. She only acknowledged me with a fleeting glance before dropping her eyes evasively and fiddling with the hem of her dress. The woman was definitely annoyed with me about something, but as I studied her face I realised it was more than just that. Karin Torma – the powerful, self-assured moroi seductress – was nervous. Clearly, my unexpected appearance had her so unsettled she didn't know how to react.

'Lovely to meet you Karin,' I jumped in to save her, leaning in to kiss her cheek and using the opportunity to whisper four little words in her ear. 'We need to talk.'

'Hi,' the moroi murmured with a stiff smile before pulling back to greet Mikhail and returning to her seat, taking care to avoid my questioning gaze.

 _Come on, babe. Don't shut me out now. This is awkward as hell, but we can figure it out_ , I urged her silently, settling myself down in the chair beside her. I caught Sonya shooting her friend a strange look as she and Mikhail took their places opposite us, but the auburn-haired moroi didn't miss a beat, tactfully striking up a light conversation to ease the tension in the air.

'So, you'll never believe what Karin and I got up to on our girls day out in Pittsburgh, Misha,' she began brightly, and the happy couple took the lead in the discussion, leaving me a moment to consider our current situation.

My best friend had set me up on a blind date with the woman I was already having a secret affair with – even if things between us were still brand new and essentially undefined. Karin and I had agreed to take things slow to allow time for the dust to settle, but after that one stolen night of passion and a spate of increasingly intimate text messages I knew _slow_ wasn't working. I'd fallen hard and I couldn't let tonight's fiasco ruin what we'd started.

But right now things weren't looking so good. Karin was staring grimly into her wine, barely even acknowledging Mikhail and Sonya when they attempted to include her in their conversation. I'd never seen her so closed off. If she had a problem with me, I'd rather she shout and scream than bury herself away where I couldn't reach her – this eerie silence was unexpected and disconcerting. I knew I had to do something to get things back on track as soon as possible – preferably without outing Karin and I as a couple in front of our clueless friends – and seeing as I wasn't great at subtle romancing I decided on a more drastic course of action. It was time to bring my feisty moroi goddess out of her shell.

I reached out and slid a menu across to the brooding woman sitting beside me. 'I wonder if they do crab fries here,' I mused aloud. Karin's eyes flashed up at me sharply and she looked like she was going to say something snarky in retort but we were interrupted by the arrival of a waiter to take our drinks orders. _At least we'd made a start._

'Well this is cosy,' I piped up when our drinks and entrees had arrived, loading up my fork with a massive pile of food and turning to my date. 'So, Karin. Mikhail tells me you're going to be Sonya's maid of honour,' I began conversationally. 'How did the two of you meet anyway? It's funny, but I don't think I've heard her talk about you before.'

'Seriously, Don? I talk about Karin all the time,' Sonya protested with a frown. 'You're just usually too preoccupied with work stuff to listen properly. Remember when Mikhail was under house-arrest after Rose got shot, and you broke us out of Court so we could go and stay with my parents near Seattle? Well that's were Karin and I met – we grew up together on the same estate.'

Of course I remembered organising the plane tickets to Seattle, and Misha may have mentioned something about staying with a moroi friend of Sonya's on the west coast at one point, but I honestly had forgotten the name.

'Ahh… _That_ Karin,' my eyes widened in recognition. 'I don't know why, but I always imagined her to be older – like an uptight librarian or something. Maybe if you'd told me your friend was hot and single I would have paid a bit more attention.'

Sonya looked horrified and Mikhail gave me a swift kick under the table, but I felt a small surge of satisfaction as Karin's posture shifted. _She was going to take the bait._

'I did actually work part-time as a librarian during college,' she countered acidly, glowering at me from under her eyelashes. 'Most of the guys in my faculty paid quite a bit of attention to me then, I assure you.'

A wicked smile spread across my face. Karin as a hot librarian was an image I wasn't going to forget any time soon. 'Maybe if you'd worked at my school when I was a novice I would have paid more attention in class too,' I raised an eyebrow at her.

'You wish,' she retorted, beginning to warm into the conversation. _That's my girl._

At that point Sonya cut us off, clearly alarmed at the undercurrent of antagonism that had flared between us and desperate to get the evening back on friendly terms. 'Okay, you two. I'm glad we're getting all of this out in the open, but I think it's time we moved on to a new topic. Don, how was your trip to Michigan?'

'Actually, I need to use the bathroom,' Karin announced suddenly, rising from the table with a meaningful glance at me. 'If I'm not back when the main course arrives please start without me.' She grabbed her purse and flounced off towards the facilities, leaving the three of us watching after her with varying expressions of surprise (Mikhail), concern (Sonya), and quiet triumph (me).

'I'm so sorry, Don,' Sonya apologised profusely. 'I don't know what's gotten into her. She's normally the life of the party. I'm sure it's got nothing to do with you.'

Mikhail remained silent but telegraphed me a grieved expression from across the table, which I read to mean that he was sorry he'd dragged me into this but didn't plan on making things any worse by registering a verbal opinion.

'I've got to use the little boys room too,' I said in reply, shifting my chair back and smoothing out my pants. 'I'll see you guys in a bit.' Sonya's eyes narrowed with a hint of suspicion and Mikhail shook his head almost imperceptibly, trying to warn me off, but I ignored them both and took off after Karin at a measured lope.

The bathrooms were located at the back of the restaurant, down a dimly lit corridor lined with dark wooden panelling. I paused briefly with my back to the wall, pondering whether to wait for Karin outside the ladies' room or barge right in after her, when a door creaked open immediately behind me and a hand slipped out to grab my arm, drawing me into a room marked _Private – Staff Only_.

'What are you doing here? Did you set me up?' Karin demanded accusingly, as soon as the door swung closed, reaching behind me to lock it from the inside.

We were in a small office. Even with the lights off I could see the room was simply decorated, with a heavy oak desk in the centre of the room framed by a pair of potted plants. Several bookcases lined the wall behind the desk, and on the other side of the room was a feature-wall made from hundreds of bottles of wine. The moroi was standing facing me with her hands on her hips – if looks could kill I'd be a pile of ash on the floor right now, but I was just glad I had her talking.

 _So she thought I'd been keeping secrets from her?_ 'What are you on about, you mad-woman?' I countered, my voice hushed but forceful, grabbing her by the shoulders and spinning her back to pin her against the door. She was welcome to be angry at me, but I had no intention of letting her fly into a rage. Moroi women were notorious for expressing their opinions loudly and physically, and there was a whole restaurant-full of diners only a few feet away who would be dialling 911 if they overheard our scuffle. 'I didn't even know I was coming here tonight, Karin. Mikhail failed to mention I was being dragged into a blind date until we arrived at the restaurant. I had nothing to do with this.' I held my prisoner firmly, rendered slightly breathless by her fitful struggles to free herself from my grasp.

The fiery spark in her eyes ignited to a burning inferno. 'That might be true, but what about before – on the plane. You let me open up about my feelings for Mikhail and my guilt about Sonya knowing full well who I was, and once you caught me with my guard down you made us miss our flight just to get me into bed.'

Karin was getting really worked up now and, while I found the sight of her flushed cheeks extremely arousing, I needed to set the record straight. For a woman with trust issues she didn't appear to have any qualms about being manipulative herself. 'Wait on – you were the one that made us miss the plane, remember, and while we're interrogating one-another, why did you tell me your best friend's name was Marie? If you'd been honest from the start and said it was Sonya then we wouldn't have had this whole misunderstanding in the first place.' (I couldn't deny wanting to get her into bed – that part, at least, was true.)

She quietened down a bit at that, no longer fighting against my hold on her, but her voice was still bitter with frustration. 'I lied about Sonya's identity to protect her, not me. She already had her name dragged through the dirt after she turned strigoi. It didn't feel right revealing even more of her personal shit to a stranger... But you lied too…,' she paused, her eyes darting from side to side as she searched her memory before fixing them accusingly on mine. 'You told me your best friend's depression was because his fiancée committed suicide.'

'Well didn't she?' I asked a little more softly, adjusting my grip to slip my hands further down her arms. 'What's really going on here Karin? Why don't you trust me?'

The vengeful angel frowned tightly. 'I do... I mean... oh, you wouldn't get it.' Her jaw was set, her eyes staring and unfocused on the floor at her feet.

'Try me.'

She took a few shallow, angry little breaths then looked me in the eye. 'I'm a strong person, right? I've had to be - making a career and a life for myself away from the comforts and safety of Court. But there have been a few times in my life when I've opened up to people and they have let me down.'

'Okay...'

'I shared an apartment with a few moroi girls in my last year of college. I thought we were friends and told them about that dhampir guy I bit when I was a student at The Academy. The next weekend they held a surprise party at our place, and half-way through the night a blood-whore showed up at the front door, amped up to his eyeballs on God-knows-what, saying he'd been ordered for me. They all thought it was hilarious.'

'What the hell?' My fingers tightened around her wrists in surprise and agitation.

'Yeah. Clearly, we're not friends anymore... Then another time, when I was in my early twenties, I dated a guy who was a senior partner in the company I worked for. Soon after we moved in together I applied for a new position within the company that would have given me a promotion and a significant raise. I didn't get the job, and it wasn't until two months later that he told me he'd removed my application from the pool because I didn't need to be promoted - apparently he was earning enough to take care of both of us, and it would only be a matter of time before I decided to quit work and have babies anyway.'

I shook my head in disbelief. It was crazy to think that that kind of attitude still existed in the 21st century.

'But you know what hurt me more than any of that shit?' she plunged on, prying herself free of my grasp and stalking across the room to lean on the edge of the desk. 'Sonya fucking Karp...'

She paused briefly then continued on, unable to hide the bitterness and regret that laced her words. 'Obviously, I love Sonya to pieces, but we were supposed to be best friends. When I saw her slipping deeper and deeper into the darkness I tried so hard to help her but she shut herself off from me. I know it sounds stupid and selfish, but when she turned strigoi a part of me couldn't help wondering why my friendship wasn't enough for her, why she left me. I don't think I'll ever forget what it was like to feel let down by the person I trusted most in the world.'

'It's not stupid to feel that way, Karin. I get it.' I assured her, moving closer and boosting myself up to sit on the desk beside her. 'When Mikhail took off on his mission to 'save' Sonya I spent that entire year struggling over his decision. How could my best friend recklessly and knowingly put himself in the line of danger when he saw how messed up I was after I got bitten by a strigoi? There were even times when I was tired or lonely when I wondered why he chose to leave me behind in favour of near-certain death, and how in the hell I would cope if the next strigoi I went up against was him.'

My hand crept onto her knee. 'You know, it took me a while to figure it out, but sometimes when people let you down it's not because they don't love you. For Mikhail, he just loved Sonya more. If you stop trusting other people you'll only end up hurting yourself. The way I see it, it's important to invest in your friends and accept whatever they are willing to share, but not to expect more than they can give. And if you want more for yourself, you just need to keep on looking until you find that person who places you first every time – the person who counts you as their number one.'

Karin had sat motionless and hauntingly quiet, listening as I revealed the private thoughts and fears I'd never shared with anybody else – not even Misha – but now I felt her slim fingers come to rest tentatively over mine. My heart rate quickened slightly at her touch and I shifted around to face her, reaching my other hand out carefully to push a lock of hair back from her eyes. 'I need you to understand something about me, Karin... I'm a pretty straight-forward guy. I won't shut you out and I won't let you down. I might have only met you a week ago, but I already know how I feel about you. You can trust me with your secrets and your fears and your heart just like you'd trust me with your life. They are all important to me and I promise to guard them carefully.'

When she met my gaze, surprise and acceptance reflected out from those beautiful, chocolate-brown eyes and I dropped a kiss to my lover's brow, wrapping my arms slowly around her and drawing her in to me. I felt her hands slip around my waist and she buried her face in my shirt, still and silent for a long time as she gave herself in to the strength and reassurance of my embrace.

Eventually Karin stirred, tipping her head to one side. 'That was a very pretty speech, but don't think you're off the hook yet, Don Kardos. I'm still annoyed with you,' she said softly.

'And why is that, honey?' I asked, smiling into her hair.

'The last person you saw naked... it was Sonya, wasn't it,' she replied, a mild accusatory note back in her voice.

I chuckled under my breath - I forgot I'd even told her about that. 'And for that I'm truly sorry,' I apologised eloquently, 'but if it's any consolation, she has no idea. It was an accident, honestly. Misha made me promise not to say a word… And while we're on the topic of accidental peeping-Toms, I should probably tell you it was Mikhail who saw your bra on my washing line.'

'What?!' she practically squawked, pulling back with a look of horror.

'Don't worry. I told him it was a memento I'd kept from the music festival I went to with my brother for my last birthday. There's no way I want him thinking about your perfect, perky breasts when you finally let me go public about us.'

My answer seemed to intrigue her. 'So there's an 'us' is there?' she tilted her head coquettishly.

It had been a weird way to start a relationship, rushed into because of time constraints and insatiable passion, and confused by a string of half-truths and misunderstandings. But now it was time to move forward together with our eyes open.

'How about we just start over?' I suggested, hopping off the desk to stand facing her, taking her right hand in mine. 'Hi. I'm Don. I'm a horny, lonely guardian whose best friend is marrying an ex-strigoi (who I've seen naked). Last week I chanced to meet a beautiful moroi woman on a plane who – by some stroke of divine fortune – let me sleep with her and now I can't get her out of my mind. She's a shameless flirt and a compulsive liar, but I'd do literally anything to make her happy if she'd just give me a chance to prove myself. I'm not exactly sure what she thinks about me yet, but I really hope she feels the same way.' I pressed the hand to my lips and raised an eyebrow, leaving the ball in her court.

'Hi Don,' she smiled at me, soft and steady, with the tiniest twinkle in her eye. 'It's nice to meet you.'

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **That got a bit more deep and emotional than I'd originally planned, but I think Don & Karin need a more meaningful connection than just the sex. Hope it wasn't too much of a downer on the usual pace of their banter.**_

 _ **I intended this to be the last chapter, but I'm still messing with an extra idea to**_ _ **wrap the story up on a sexier note (let's face it - that's what I started writing this story for!).**_ _ **However... all dependant on energy levels - my baby is due in a few weeks & I'm still working (sucker), so trying to wind down a bit before life gets ridiculous & sleep is no longer an option!**_


	12. Ch 12 - Delayed Gratification

**12\. Delayed Gratification**

(Karin POV)

I might have said _it's nice to meet you_ , but what I really meant was; _I trust you._ _You're the one I've been looking for. I want you in my life._ The dhampir's eyes lit up with understanding and he stepped closer to where I was perched on the desk, dropping his face to plant a searing kiss on my lips. All of the awkwardness and doubt that had been tormenting me fell away and I snaked my arms around his neck, returning the kiss with my whole heart.

When Don finally released my mouth I stared up into his smiling hazel eyes, feeling happier than I had in such a long time. I felt alive, supported, loved. I wanted to tell him everything he meant to me too, but I knew if I tried to say the words out loud I'd only dissolve into a crying mess. But then I realised the exact words didn't matter – the man could read me like a book. 'Of course I feel the same way about you, ass-hat,' I chided gently, running my fingers through his perfectly mussed hair. 'I wouldn't bother getting mad with you unless I thought you were worth the energy.'

Don couldn't wipe the grin off his face. 'You know I get turned on when you're mad, right?' he said, swooping in to deliver a rough kiss below my ear then continuing on with a gravely catch to his voice. 'I can't even begin to imagine what make-up sex would be like with you.'

I writhed appreciatively under his touch, wriggling forward on the edge of the desk and drawing him even closer to me. 'You want to find out?' I asked saucily, sliding my fingers down his back to cup a firm bum-cheek in each hand. _We were two consenting adults, alone together in a darkened, locked room. Why not?_

'You little minx,' he shook his head worshipfully, lifting me off the desk to stand in front of him.

I raised my lips in anticipation of his kiss but before I knew it he'd spun me around to face the table. His right hand settled at the base of my neck – his thumb massaging slow, deep strokes between my shoulder blades – while his left snaked down to my hip, clutching me tight against his body. My heart raced as I felt his hips rock teasingly against my arse, his breath sending a shiver across my skin as he dropped his head to whisper in my ear.

'You know very well I'd like to take you over this desk right now, Karin Torma, but I think you're forgetting something… our best friends are still waiting for us in the next room. I'd really rather they found out about us because we told them when we were ready, not because they overheard you screaming my name in the throes of passion.'

Somehow, the idea of getting caught didn't seem to bother me right now. 'I didn't think you'd be such a prude, Flash,' I admonished him lazily, resting my head back on his shoulder and rubbing my bum encouragingly against his swelling manhood.

The dhampir responded with an evil chuckle. 'Trust me, darling – I'm no prude,' he countered, pressing his hips even closer. 'I might worship the ground you walk on and be willing to do anything to please you, but the fact is, I'm not going to let you be in charge every single time.'

 _Like you have a choice_ , I thought cockily, but the tickle of his lips against my ear had me lulled into a pleasant stupor so I let him continue.

Don's voice dropped lower – sexy and dangerous. 'Last time I had the pleasure of bedding you, woman, I seem to remember you teased me to the absolute verge of insanity. Well, I'm not letting you off the hook now with a back-room quickie.' His left hand stole down until his fingers crept under edge of my dress. Inching the material higher and higher, he reached between my legs to caress my inner thigh. 'The next time I have my way with you _I_ will be the one doing the teasing.'

I shivered with pleasure at the thought of the sweet torment he was promising but wiggled provocatively under his touch, trying to coax his exploring fingers further northwards. Ever since our one magical night together my body had been craving for him. It might be self-centred and hedonistic, but all I wanted was to feel him inside me – completely mine as I was completely his. If I could just remind him what he was missing out on he might still drop his pants and show me how much he needed me too.

My tormenter was merciless, however. He knew exactly what I was trying to achieve and his hand paused just before it reached my panties. 'Uh-uh,' he tutted, scolding me like I was a naughty child. 'In a little over a week we're going to be living and working on opposite sides of the country so you, my sex goddess, are going to have to get used to the idea of delayed gratification.'

He brushed briefly over my pantie-line and then, without warning, pulled away leaving me feeling shaky with the mounting desire that was shooting through my body. When I turned around he was already standing next to the door. 'Shall we resume our meal, dearest?' Don asked sweetly. I huffed and pouted at him, tossing my hair in frustration, but smoothed my dress out and followed after my lover as placidly as I could. He might have won the battle but the war wasn't over yet. I'd have my way with him soon enough.

* * *

(Don POV)

I don't know how we got through that dinner with Sonya and Mikhail. It must have been obvious to our friends that something was going on between me and Karin after our sudden and lengthy disappearance from the dinner table, but they were too polite to probe any further and the conversation soon turned to wedding plans. Sonya wasn't the type to go overboard, but even the simplest wedding involved a huge amount of preparation – especially when most of the guests were attending from interstate – and the next hour was spent discussing outfits, decorations, dress rehearsals and speeches.

'So are you organising a hens night, Karin?' I asked conversationally as we all waited for our desserts to arrive. 'I'm certain Sonya deserves one last night of freedom before she gets hitched to this lug.' I leant across the table to lightly punch Mikhail's arm.

'Of course she hasn't,' Sonya cut in, blushing as her fiancé raised an eyebrow. 'You know I don't want any fuss, Karrie. I'm perfectly happy hanging out with you at home before we head over to Michigan for the wedding next weekend. A girly movie night, some chocolate and a few glasses of wine is more than enough for me,' she said with finality.

Karin took up the reins at that point, realising it was time to reveal the little plan we'd been concocting via text message over the past week. 'Actually, I have made plans for this Wednesday before we all fly out to Michigan... But there's no need to stress,' she put a hand out to calm Sonya, who was clearly about to protest. 'It's going to be a perfectly innocent adventure. I've arranged for your cousin Emily to fly in just for the day and the three of us have reservations to stay at a bed and breakfast an hour or two from Court. We're going to take a wine-tour in the late afternoon and finish up with a nice dinner at the last venue. Em suggested I invite your friends Rose and Lissa along for the tour and the evening meal, so it will just be the five of us girls.'

Sonya looked significantly relieved. 'That does sound kind of amazing, actually,' she admitted.

'Yeah – I thought it was a pretty good idea too,' Karin agreed, with a sneaky glance over at me. 'There was just one thing I wanted to run by you. Rose said she'd be happy to guard the queen, but I thought it might be nicer if we got one more guardian to come along as driver so she can relax a bit and have a few drinks. Is there anybody you'd suggest? Not Mikhail, obviously. We might not be getting up to any trouble, but I refuse to let your fiancé come along or you'll be mooning over him instead of having fun with us!'

I shifted in my seat, recognising my cue to join the conversation. 'I'd be happy to volunteer my services,' I offered quickly. 'If Misha can trust anyone to take care of his girls it's me, and one of the guys in admin owes me a favour anyway, so I'm sure I can organise to swap shifts with him. Besides, a nice afternoon driving around in the country with a bunch of tipsy women sounds a lot more entertaining than working the front desk at guardian HQ, so I'm sure I'll get something out of it too.'

Mikhail rolled his eyes knowingly and I shot him a cheeky grin before letting my expression settle into a stern mask, looking seriously from Sonya to Karin. 'But I do have to warn you both… if there are _any_ shenanigans I will be reporting the details straight back to the groom.'

Karin's eyes sparkled as she smiled first at me and then her friend. 'Does that work for you, Sonya?' she asked, though clearly the plans had already been set in motion.

'I love it. Thank you so much,' the bride-to-be agreed happily before raising her glass. 'To best friends,' she toasted.

'To best friends,' we all echoed warmly as the glasses clinked across the table.

After the abysmal start to this double-date, things had worked out so much better than I could have hoped. As Sonya brought up the topic of the first bridal waltz at the reception, I dared to sneak a hand onto Karin's knee under the table and was rewarded by the feeling of her leg brushing closer against mine in response. Taking another sip of my wine, I stole a peek at the beautiful woman by my side and hid a secret smile in my drink. A very wicked idea had just come to mind and my heart-rate quickened with devious excitement as I imagined how the girls were going to react to my very special hens night surprise. I'd promised to teach my moroi goddess a lesson in delayed gratification, and now I knew exactly how I was going to do it.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **Finally figured out the ending! Can you guess what Don's got planned?!**_


	13. Ch 13 - Somebody To Love

_**Appearances by Sonya, Rose & Lissa in this chapter :-)**_

* * *

 **13\. Somebody to Love**

(Karin POV)

It had been a great afternoon. We'd been winery-hopping since 3:00pm and the general mood was getting looser and more carefree with each stop-off. Sonya, Emily and I had no trouble keeping up with the younger girls (who were clearly no strangers to drinking despite still being under twenty-one), and I had fun trading stories with Rose about the crazy antics we'd each gotten up to in our younger years. It was a good thing we weren't both students at St. Vladimir's Academy at the same time or I'm certain the entire teaching staff would have quit.

The only downer on the day was Don. Apart from the string of text messages we'd been exchanging over the past few days (ranging from romantic and flirtatious to downright smutty), we hadn't technically caught up together since dinner on Saturday night because of Don's crazy work schedule. When the guardian jeep finally arrived at the bed and breakfast to collect us at lunch time, my heart leapt at the sight of the clean-cut figure who got out to open the door for us. I'd never seen my dhampir in his formal guardian uniform before and he looked _good_. The well-fitted suit jacket pulled in tightly at his waist to accentuate his broad shoulders, while the narrow tie and crisp, white collar of his button-down shirt formed an arrow that led my attention upwards, allowing me to appreciate the strong jawline, neatly styled sandy-brown hair and the dusting of freckles on his nose that gave his handsome face its boyish appeal. I wanted to launch myself at him and kiss him till his eyes popped out – regardless of the fact that I was standing right beside Sonya and Emily while Rose and Queen Vasilisa were peering out of the car window – but when I approached the SUV with my most persuasive man-eater smile the guardian only nodded seriously in greeting then turned his attention to his other charges. _Not_ the welcome I anticipated.

Throughout the course of the afternoon I kept hoping I'd find an opportunity to sneak off with Don for a few private moments together but the annoying man played his role as driver/bodyguard with absolute professionalism; dropping us wordlessly from one location to the next then scoping out each venue to confirm it was secure before returning to wait for us back at the car. I tried everything to get him to crack; inviting him into the group's conversation, casually brushing past him when he opened the car door for us to exit, even hitching my skirt progressively higher to show off some extra leg, but the man was as impassive as a statue.

Sonya noticed, however. 'Karin, I think you got snagged on something. Let me fix up your dress,' she offered thoughtfully, pausing outside the car to adjust my skirt, pulling the hemline lower and smoothing the fabric over my bum.

At that moment I glanced back at Don and saw his face twitch as he struggled to hide a grin, and that's when I finally twigged. This whole time I thought the guardian had been a hundred percent focused on his job, but he'd just been winding me up – making me believe he hadn't noticed that I was practically throwing myself at him. I'm sure there was some greater purpose behind his little game but right now I was too impatient and annoyed to see the funny side. By the time we arrived at the final stop on our wine trail I was quite tipsy and no longer able to hide the fact I was thoroughly miffed at Don's constant refusal to acknowledge me. I swept past him without a second glance, ushering Sonya towards a large, white marquee that had been set up on the vineyard's sprawling lawn, determined to enjoy my night regardless of my inattentive lover and his petty games.

Now, an hour and a half later, the five of us were seated in the dimly-lit tent – along with about fifty other women who were also here for what the winery's website advertised as 'the best girls' night out ever'. Despite its size, the marquee had been dressed to feel like an intimate space; strung with hanging lanterns and draped wall to wall in soft fabrics. Throughout the evening we'd been treated to a five-course degustation menu, which was especially designed to complement the house wine selection – accompanied by the sultry tones of a female vocalist and her jazz trio who were set up on a raised stage at the far end of the tent.

When dinner was finally over and the dessert plates were being cleared away everybody was feeling satisfied and giggly, and the level of conversation and excitement began to swell. We'd been promised some after-dinner entertainment to finish off the evening and we were all dying to know what was in store for us.

'Can it, boys!' the singer commanded her back-up musicians at the end of the next song. The music quietened down a notch and the gorgeous, voluptuous woman minced out into the crowd, twirling her feather boa before clinking her glass to bring the rabble to attention. 'So, ladies… are we having a good night?'

There was a cheer of agreement from the audience. Clearly we'd all had a few too many drinks, but nobody cared.

'That's what I like to hear!' the busty woman continued, as she wandered saucily from table to table. 'If you haven't seen my show before, they call me Bonbon Galore, but I'd really like to introduce a few special girls who are in the house with us tonight. Firstly, I want you to all give a big cheer for Mel who's celebrating her twenty first with her girlfriends.' We all obeyed readily and enthusiastically, and I wondered vaguely if the shrill screaming would bring Don running from the car thinking we were under attack.

'And over here we've got our beautiful bride-to-be Sonya! Somebody's going to have himself a very lucky night when he marries you, honey!' There was another wild cheer (led by Rose and Lissa), and Sonya looked like she wanted to melt into her seat as the singer draped her feather boa around the blushing bride's shoulders and shimmied her ample breasts provocatively.

When Bonbon was satisfied all the introductions had been made she headed back to join the band. 'At this point in the evening I normally find the best thing to do is… peel off a few layers and really get comfortable…,' she said, looking coquettishly across to the trio of musicians who were still playing softly on the stage. She leisurely stretched out an arm to remove her shoulder-length glove, one finger at a time, before throwing the satin item in their direction. Without missing a beat, the drummer tossed his left drumstick into his right hand and half-rose to catch the discarded glove. He eyed the singer worshipfully; clutching the dark, shiny material to his face then loosening his own bowtie as if things were suddenly heating up in the room. There was a combined intake of breath from all the women in the crowd as we realised what we were in for – somebody was going getting their kit off tonight. The fun had just begun.

'…But in an unexpected turn of fate…,' the singer spun away from the drummer who was making a big show of pining like a spurned lover, '…we have a surprise for one very lucky lady in the audience.'

There was a titter of excitement as we all tried to guess who was going to be in for some special treatment.

'I'm pleased to announce that we are about to be treated to an exclusive, one-off performance by a newcomer to our humble stage. This guy is an undeniably sweet slab of eye-candy, but he's here tonight with a message for his own special lady. Firstly, he wants you to know that he didn't realise he was looking for somebody to love until he met you,' Bonbon paused meaningfully, heaving a dramatic sigh that was echoed by at least half of the women in the tent. 'But now he's finally found you he doesn't want to let you slip away without making one thing absolutely certain... He's yours – body, mind and soul, and he's here tonight to prove he has nothing – and I mean nothing – to hide. Ladies... hold onto your knickers! I give you _Mr_ _Flash Dandy_!'

A drumroll sounded, then on cue all the lights in the tent cut out except a single spotlight which shone out from the back of the stage. There was a soft hiss as a smoke-machine puffed into life, and through the clearing cloud I saw the frozen silhouette of a man; his back to the audience and head turned to one side, posing with a briefcase in one hand and the other reaching up to clutch the classic 60's-style fedora that sat atop his head. The women around me clapped and squealed in anticipation but my hands flew to my mouth as I recognised the familiar profile of the man's face. It was, unmistakably, Don.

A slow series of notes howled out from the speakers as Freddie Mercury's distinctive voice rose up with the opening lyrics;

 _"Can anybody find me somebody to love?"_

As the first verse started, the house lights came up dimly and the statue gradually came to life; one leg pulsing in time to the beat of the music as the Queen hit washed out over the audience. Oh. My. God. How was this even happening? The man had just spent a whole afternoon pretending I didn't even exist and all the time he'd been planning to declare himself to me – in front of a whole room-full of drunk, randy women who all clearly wished he was there dancing for them. I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

Through the cheers and screams I felt a hand grip mine and looked across to see Sonya – wide eyed and beside herself with excitement. 'You know who that is right?' she gasped out.

I nodded, biting my lip, barely able to tear my focus away from the man on the stage who was removing his jacket very slowly, his hat tilted down jauntily over his face.

 _"I work hard every day of my life… I work 'til I ache my bones. At the end of the day I take home my heard-earned pay all on my own."_

My friend squeezed my hand even tighter to get my attention again. 'Well, he's obviously not here for me… so I'm guessing you've got something to tell me, Karin?!' she practically spluttered, demanding an immediate explanation.

'Uh-huh,' was all I managed, as I ogled at Don who had spotted me in the audience and was currently gazing at me as he loosened the knot of his tie.

 _"I get down on my knees and I start to pray, 'til the tears run down from my eyes. Lord, somebody, somebody, can anybody find me somebody to love?"_

He knelt down on the floor, tearing his shirt open as buttons flew wildly into the audience. A few ladies near the front jumped up to catch them, while several others were so taken by the mood of the moment that they rose from their seats and formed an impromptu dance-floor off to one side of the tent, swaying in time to the music as they enjoyed the show.

I couldn't blame them. Don's upper body was ripped and glistening under the soft stage lights, and the tie that hung open around his neck only drew the eye to the glory underneath. He slowly danced back up onto his feet, casually unbuckling his belt as his hips marked out the steady, throbbing beat of the song. My personal stripper pulled the leather strap through the loops of his trousers then tossed it out into the crowd, and one woman snatched the belt greedily, holding it aloft like a trophy. But the real prize was still standing on the stage – working the crowd as he undid the top button of his pants, allowing the waistline to slip low on his hips and revealing the tiniest hint of trimmed hair that peeked out from the base of his V.

Just when I was beginning to get nervous, thinking he was going to reef his pants off completely, there was a brief hiatus in the action as an electric guitar solo wailed out. Don twirled around, using his hat and briefcase to perform a choreographed dance that was as hilarious as it was sexy. There were peals of good-natured laughter as our entertainer faced the back wall, unzipping his fly and dropping his pants even lower so we could see him tensing his glutes one at a time to match the rhythm of the music.

 _I just gotta get out of this prison cell. One day I'm gonna be free, Lord!_

The hat sailed off into the audience.

 _Find me somebody to love. Find me somebody to love…_

The music dropped low and began a slow build as my lover stepped down from the stage and stalked through the tables, advancing closer and closer to where I was sitting with Sonya and the girls. Rose was giggling and shielding her eyes while Lissa seemed like she quite wasn't sure where to look. Sonya and Emily were hugging one another, jumping up and down with excitement for me as Don approached us with a cheeky grin, holding the briefcase strategically in front of him as he dropped his trousers to the floor and stepped out of them towards me. My breath caught as I realised there was no sign of any underwear – he must have gone commando all day.

The same moment he discarded his pants, Don released the catch to let the briefcase fall open, and inside was a printed message done up to look like a luggage tag that read ' _property of Karin Torma_ '. Tears of laughter and joy ran down my face as I gazed into his smiling eyes, soaking up the passion and love that radiated from him like warmth from the sun. As the music looped and faded out the dhampir continued to gyrate his hips in time to the song, no doubt giving the band an eyeful of his delicious derriere, then blew me a kiss and wiggled his way back towards the stage and out of the tent to the sound of copious applause from the crowd (and whistles from a few waitresses who had found time to come in to enjoy the show as well).

Bonbon Galore was the first to recover, the singer sashaying smugly over to our table and scooping Don's pants off the floor to present to me. 'You might like to go after him and give him these, sweetheart,' she suggested. 'Or maybe you'd prefer he kept them off?' she added cheekily, pushing me towards the exit.

I looked over questioningly at Sonya, not wanting to leave her on her special night, but she wrapped her arms around me in a tight hug. 'Go to him, Karrie. We've got Rose – we'll be alright. Oh my God, I'm so happy for you – I still can't believe it,' she gushed, before shoving me firmly in the direction of my somebody to love.

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **This chapter concept is a nod to the opening chapter in Lea's story - Jesse's Girl - where Dimitri gets a bit drunk and sings a karaoke number dedicated to Rose. Hope you liked it :-)**_

 ** _I was considering skipping straight to a lemon but couldn't resist padding out the strip scene... going to do my best to add one last lemon-tastic chapter to satisfy those of us with a naughtier streak! (4 days till baby due date - so will try to knock it out quickly in case bub comes early!)_**


	14. Ch 14 - Strawberries and Chocolate Sauce

**_So... I had my baby last week, hence the delay in posting! A chubby-cheeked, squeaky boy :-)_**

 ** _This is definitely the last chapter so I've made it a bit longer & given you a lemon at the end + cameos from Dimitri/Mikhail/Christian._**

 ** _Thanks to those who fav/followed. Love to hear what you thought - please leave me a PM/review :-)_ **

* * *

**14\. Strawberries and Chocolate Sauce**

(Don POV)

Despite the cool evening air hitting my bare skin as I exited the tent I was actually feeling quite warm, and I laughed aloud into the empty night. Revealing my surprise to Karin had left me absolutely elated and I couldn't wait to get her alone and prove my love for her in every other way… Because that's what I'd figured out in the last three days. What I felt for Karin wasn't a passing fancy or a connection limited to sexual attraction alone. I didn't think it would ever happen for me, but now at the ripe old age of thirty-five I was hopelessly in love.

A car crunched quietly up the gravel path behind me and I swung around, gripping the briefcase over my privates as the headlights caught me in their glare. The vehicle stopped only feet from where I was standing and when the driver's window lowered, a deep voice with a familiar Russian lilt called out to me.

'Really, Don? Do I even want to know?' Dimitri asked incredulously, rummaging underneath the driver's seat of the black guardian SUV and throwing me a blanket. I shot my colleague a sheepish smile and accepted the rug gratefully, wrapping it around my waist and lowering the briefcase to the ground.

Moments later the rear window slid down to reveal one Lord Christian Ozera, who was smirking at my near-naked form. ' _You_ might not want to know, Dimitri, but _I'd_ sure as hell like to hear the explanation!' he scoffed gleefully from the backseat.

'And so would I,' Mikhail leant across Dimitri from the passenger side. 'You weren't trying to get Sonya to change her mind were you?' he asked suspiciously, but a smile was playing at the corner of his lips.

'Thanks for showing up, boys,' I announced casually, ignoring their quizzical looks and completing the handover as if it was the end of any normal guardian shift. 'The ladies are seated at the third table back on the left-hand side of the room. Rose hasn't had any concerns with security inside, so you might like to give them another fifteen or twenty minutes before you let them know you're here to collect them.'

Dimitri and Mikhail nodded efficiently, but the young moroi lord seemed unwilling to let the matter rest. 'So why did you need us to take over for you, exactly, Cheeky?' Christian probed, still on the verge of pissing himself laughing at my current state of undress. 'The girls prove too much for you to handle?'

And that's when Karin turned up clutching her shoes and handbag in one hand, and my trousers in the other.

'Oh,' Christian mouthed, impressed.

'We'll catch you at the wedding rehearsal on Friday morning,' I grinned broadly, waving farewell as Dimitri, ever the gentleman, saw fit to drive off to the other side of the marquee and afford us a moment of privacy.

Karin had slowed down at the sight of the unfamiliar vehicle but hurried closer as soon as the car pulled off, dropping everything from her hands and wrapping her arms tightly around my neck, barely giving me a chance to breathe before she locked her lips on mine. I responded eagerly, drawing her into my arms and lifting her off the ground as her legs wrapped around my waist.

'How was that for delayed gratification?' I managed to get the words out, before returning to pay homage to her demanding mouth.

'Definitely worth the wait,' she whispered happily, biting at my lower lip and planting wet little kisses along my jaw. 'I honestly can't believe you did that for me, you crazy man,' she added with a look of disbelief and amusement, then rewarded me by dipping her face to nuzzle and nip at my neck.

I groaned at the soft, warm sensation of her lips against my skin. 'I would do that and more for you a hundred times over, beautiful, but right now I want to take you somewhere a little more private. The pack of women inside that tent might have enjoyed my little burlesque act but I don't think it will go down so well if they all walk out and find me having my way with you in the carpark.'

'So you're going to have your way with me, are you, Don Kardos?' Karin raised an eyebrow teasingly, rolling her hips against mine as she clung to me like a monkey.

I shifted her weight over to one arm and ran my fingers through her hair, bringing my lips close to her ear. 'Yes, Karin Torma. I am going to have my way with you again and again until you can do nothing but lie exhausted in my arms.' She sighed with pleasure, quivering needily under my touch. 'But first, my moroi goddess, I need to get you behind closed doors.' And with that, I let her slide down to the ground and bent to collect our things, retrieving the car keys from my briefcase and hitching Dimitri's blanket higher around my hips before leading my lover off to our waiting vehicle.

The moment I settled myself into the driver's seat Karin's hand crept onto my lap, pushing the blanket I was wearing aside to stroke my upper thigh.

'Just give me five minutes, little minx,' I chuckled, grabbing her hand before it could wreak too much havoc. 'I've had to spend the whole afternoon watching you flaunting your magnificent legs in my face despite my best efforts to control myself – I think you can last the short drive to our lodgings without ripping off my last remnant of clothing!'

She pouted but squeezed my fingers in assent. 'So where are you taking me anyway?' she asked curiously.

I looked across at her with a soft smile. She was so wild and beautiful. I still couldn't quite believe she was real. 'We're technically already here. This vineyard has several private chalets dotted around the property that are seasonally let out to tourists or used for wedding parties,' I explained, as the gravel path we'd been driving along branched off away from the main buildings. In the distance we could already make out the eaved roofline of the cabin that was going to be our home for the next twenty-four hours.

'But how did you organise this on such short notice?' she probed. 'We only reserved a table for Sonya's hens late last week.'

'I've had dealings through work with the moroi couple who own the place and they owed me a favour so they made their best room available.'

'Is there anybody at Court who doesn't owe you a favour?' she asked in disbelief.

I chuckled. 'Probably not. Being on the front desk means I get to help a lot of people. A few years back I organised a team of guardians to sort out a strigoi problem they had out here. In return, the owners promised me free accommodation whenever I'm in town and now I've finally gotten the chance to take them up on their offer.'

'Not a bad perk of the job!' she looked duly impressed.

'Yeah,' I agreed, then squeezed her hand, my pulse quickening with a hint of nervousness as I laid out my plan. 'I'm going to miss you like crazy when you go back to Seattle, Karin, but if you like the place, I'm sure I can arrange for us to stay a night or two here whenever you're on the east coast for work.'

The moroi nodded with a half-smile but then quietened down, her forehead creasing with a worry or sadness, I'm not sure which, and I knew we were both thinking of the separation we were about to endure.

'Hey. No time for that, sweetheart. Tonight's about celebrating the time we do have together,' I urged her, leaning over to grab a gift-bag I'd hidden behind the front seat and handing it to her. 'Here – I bought you a present.'

Karin seemed pleased at the unexpected gift but I detected a hint of concern behind her expression. 'You haven't gone and done something stupid have you, Don?' she asked me carefully. 'I'm not sure I can handle too many more surprises tonight.'

'Well it is a surprise, but it's not jewellery if that's what you're getting at,' I grinned at her. I had originally thought about buying her a necklace with a locket or maybe even an engraved ring, but didn't want to freak her out if she felt that was moving too fast.

Her posture relaxed a little and she accepted the glossy gift-bag with girlish excitement, giving it a tentative shake and testing its weight in her hands as she tried to guess what was inside.

'Oh, just hurry up and open it, woman,' I exclaimed impatiently, pulling up outside the cabin and turning off the engine. 'I'm dying to see what you think.'

* * *

(Karin POV)

I'm not sure what I expected to find inside the bag, but a pair of matching cell phones certainly wasn't what I imagined. I looked up at Don quizzically. 'This is a really lovely thought, hon, but don't you think two phones is a bit excessive? You know I've already got a cell – you've been texting me every day for the past week and a half, remember.'

'Actually, it's just the one phone for you. I ordered them as a his and hers set,' he explained, pocketing one of the phones and handing me the other. I didn't recognise the brand but it looked expensive. Very expensive.

'The thing is,' the guardian continued, 'I shouldn't be taking personal calls on my work cell, and I'm sure you'd prefer it if I didn't send you… certain types of messages when you're in a meeting with a client?' he waggled his eyebrows suggestively. 'So, I figured if we're going to embark on a long-distance relationship, we should probably sort out a way we can communicate openly with one another but still ensure we have privacy. I want you to feel comfortable that you can send me anything you want and know it's not going to fall into the wrong hands.'

'Sounds like a very good plan,' I agreed, my mind already cramming with ideas of things I'd like to send him when we were apart.

Don took my cell and turned it on to show me how it worked, pointing out the features like a kid with a new toy. 'It's a new model currently being trialled for guardian use. It does everything a normal phone does – calls, texts, video chat, email – but it's completely private and secure – unhackable, so my boss Hans says. I've set your phone up so it's paired with mine. Once we activate the fingerprint passcode, Queen Vasilisa herself wouldn't be able to crack into it.'

I fixed him with a wry expression. 'Queen Vasilisa wouldn't _need_ to hack into my phone to see sexy photos of you, Don – she already got more than an eyeful of your body tonight!'

'The queen can look but she can't touch,' his eyes crinkled with laughter but there was a flash of something deeper in his expression and he shifted my hand onto his leg. 'I'm going to head inside and get a few things prepared. You wait here a minute and I'll let you know when I'm ready for you to come and join me,' he said cryptically. Dropping a kiss to my cheek, Don exited the vehicle, leaving the blanket behind him.

I watched him go, feeling my stomach flip with longing as the naked dhampir disappeared into the cabin and closed the door behind him. I'd been waiting all week for the chance to be alone with my lover, and now he was so close and yet so far this final delay was absolutely killing me. I wriggled impatiently in my seat, half-considering ignoring his instructions and following after him when the phone on my lap lit up.

One new text message; _Choose your own adventure. Classical or jazz?_

Of course Don would find a way to make this into a game. I grinned then typed my reply. _Jazz_.

 _Bedroom or bathroom?_

Tough one, but I knew what I wanted and I needed it soon. _Bedroom._

 _Formal or casual?_

That was a bit more ambiguous. I'd have to take a guess. _Formal._

Moments later a picture came through. It was a selfie of Don standing at the foot of a large bed, posing with a glass of champagne and wearing a bow-tie – only a bow-tie. I laughed out loud at his cheeky expression and shivered as I realised how much I was looking forward to the treat awaiting me inside.

Before I could type a reply, the phone buzzed one last time and I checked it eagerly. _Come in and look behind the front door :-)_

I didn't delay.

As soon as I got inside I closed the door behind me and my eyes lit up in surprise and delight. The game had only just begun.

Two outfits were hung behind the door. The first was a pretty satin cami and short set, the pale pink fabric edged with white lace, giving the overall effect of feminine and sexy without being too revealing. Next to that was a short, black nightie made of a soft, gauzy material that fell loosely from breasts to bum – sheer and sinful. While there was technically more fabric in this option, the lace bra didn't look like it would cover much and the only other item of clothing I could see was a pair of frilly French knickers; essentially just a ruffle of lace around the hips with a little silver love-heart hanging from a tiny pink bow at the back. It was the stuff wet dreams were made of.

A handwritten note was stuck to the wall above the clothing. _Something to wear – angel or vixen? When you've made your choice, open the package on the coffee table._

My hand hovered indecisively over the satin pyjama set as I considered my options – this was only the second date after all – but then I realised something. I was heading home straight after the wedding in three days' time, and after that I had no idea how long it would be before Don and I would be together again. This was no time for false modesty. The man had just literally stripped naked for me in front of a room-full of strangers and I planned to give him something special to remember me by too. Peeling off my dress, I changed into the sexy black lingerie and followed the instructions on the card to the coffee table in the lounge room.

A large, flat box awaited me with a note on the top. _Feeling playful? Choose any, all or none, then… last stop kitchen bench._

Inside the box were three items; a lacy garter, a satin blindfold and a pair of fluffy handcuffs (not standard guardian issue, presumably). Honestly, all three seemed pretty appealing to me right now, but the idea of a muscle-bound dhampir removing a garter from my thigh with his teeth sent an instant stab of longing to my core. I slipped the delicate ruched fabric up over my knee with a feeling of mounting anticipation then moved on to the kitchen.

The final message had my heart racing. _Something sweet to eat (you're going to need your energy tonight). Once you've chosen, meet me in the bedroom._

There were two dishes on the kitchen counter. The first was a cluster of poached figs drizzled with a creamy glaze which, when I tasted it, turned out to be spiced honey. The second was a glass bowl filled with plump strawberries with a small porcelain jug to one side. I lifted the lid and dipped my finger into the still-warm liquid. Dark chocolate sauce, with a hint of chilli.

My eyes darkened lustfully. Apart from the combined aphrodisiac effects of strawberries, chilli and chocolate, I had an immediate urge to drizzle that warm, gooey sauce all over my lover then lick it off him. Or he could lick it off me. I didn't care either way – the man had delayed my gratification long enough and I was ready to get my reward. Grabbing the cell Don had given me, I navigated to the camera then dipped a strawberry in the chocolate sauce, snapping a photo of as I trailed the fruit along my bottom lip. Happy with the photo, I leant forward on the counter-top with a feeling of nervous excitement and sent my taunting invitation.

 _Feeling hungry?_

I waited five seconds. No reply. Ten seconds. Nothing. Wait… was that something moving behind me? Startled, I made to turn around, accidentally dropping the cell phone on the kitchen bench with a loud clatter, but before I had a chance to see who was creeping up on me a pair of strong arms surrounded me from behind.

The voice that spoke low in my ear was rough with desire. 'Ravenous,' was all it said, and I melted back into my lover's embrace with a shiver of excitement as one of his hands slid possessively down the front of my body, tracing over my breasts and stomach to toy with the garter on my thigh. _At last,_ I thought giddily. His touch set my skin on fire and I squirmed against him with a sigh of pleasure.

That one, soft breath seemed to act like a trigger and Don's body responded automatically, his muscles twitching as he hardened against me. The broken sound that fell from his lips made my insides clench tightly and I didn't resist as the dhampir's hand moved across to steal the strawberry I was still clutching in my fingers.

'I was planning to at least make it back to the bedroom before I had my first taste of you, Karin, but I don't think I can wait that long,' he breathed, pressing the strawberry to my lips then skimming it down my neck, following the trail of chocolate that was left in its wake with greedy licks and fervent kisses.

My breath hitched and I swore quietly, tilting my head to give him better access to my neck and rolling my hips backwards to press against the swelling erection that was nudging at the lower ruffle of my panties. 'You really don't have to wait, Don,' I gasped, feeling his hips drive forward, teasing me with his manhood. 'You win. I'm all yours. Claim your prize.'

He groaned in pleasure as his fingers danced over my body, lifting the gauzy material of my nightie to explore my skin and dropping a hand to brush devotedly against the silky fabric between my legs.

'Just one minute longer,' Don insisted, leaning down to meet my lips as I arched around impatiently to find out what was delaying him. His free hand came up to comb through my hair and he pulled his face back slightly to gaze at me. 'Look at you,' he shook his head in wonder. 'You are so beautiful, so alive. I'll never grow tired of being with you. I know it's soon and I don't want to scare you off, sweetheart, but I'm in love with you and I want to remember you – in this moment – in perfect detail, for the rest of my life.'

Tears sprang to my eyes. This man was offering himself to me – laying out his intentions boldly and holding nothing back. If I'd doubted his words, the truth of his feelings was etched on his face and echoed in the circling caresses of his fingers on my core. I let my eyelids fall closed, momentarily lost in the intoxicating power of his love, before the mounting tension in my body reminded me to respond.

'And I will gladly spend the rest of my life creating new memories together with you, hon, but right now I'm going to need you to get a move on,' I whispered raggedly, extending one hand up to stroke needily at his face and reaching the other behind me to dig my fingers into the firm thigh that ghosted against my own. 'I've been waiting to feel you inside me for over a week. Don't make me wait any longer. Please.'

The man let out a rumbling growl in reply and he slipped his thumb under the edge of my panties, dragging them down off my hips. I leaned forward slightly against the counter-top, shuddering in anticipation as he parted my legs and placed himself at my entrance, then bucked back against him, crying out with satisfaction as he buried himself swiftly within me.

'I love you, woman,' he confessed hoarsely as he moved inside of me – slow and deep – proving his promise with every thrust.

'I love you too,' I echoed, tilting my hips to take him in further and whimpering urgently as his hands pulled me closer – one heavy on my shoulder, the other gentle on my sex.

'Then come with me, sweetheart,' he urged, and I felt his pace quicken, rocking me to his breathless, pagan rhythm. The deep groan he uttered as he spent himself inside me sent a quiver through my whole body and with one last, wild cry I lost myself to him, clenching tightly around him as waves of pleasure threatened to overwhelm me.

When the time came to pull apart Don enveloped me in his arms, turning me to kiss me soundly on the lips. When he pulled away to pick me up and cradle me in his arms I gazed at him lovingly, taking in the look of lust and devotion that still lingered on his face and the frankly adorable way his bow-tie was slightly askew.

'A shower for you then straight to bed, missy,' he ordered sternly, his eyes twinkling with quiet enjoyment as he slid the lacy strap of my nightdress down off my shoulder and bent to kiss my naked breast.

I was completely satisfied but the feeling of his lips teasing closer to my nipple planted a new seed of desire inside me. I smiled tauntingly and twisted away from him, reaching out to grab something from the kitchen bench.

Anything you say, Flash, but let's take this with us,' I amended, clutching the jug of chocolate sauce. 'We are going to need our energy, after all.'

* * *

 _ **Author's Note:**_

 _ **That's it! Happy endings for everyone.**_

 _ **Hope you liked the foreplay & lemon :-) **_

_**Currently working on a Romitri Saga which I will release soon so keep an eye out for that - it's going to be FUN!**_


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